Katawa Superpowers
by Chrono180
Summary: What does the cast of Katawa Shoujo do after gaining superpowers? Well, that depends on who you're talking about. Witness Hisao, Emi, Lilly, Hanako, Rin, Shizune, Misha and Kenji as they join the often-time surreal world of superheroing.
1. Happy Birthday Hisao

Katawa Superpowers.

Chapter 1: Happy Birthday Hisao.

"Happy twenty second birthday, sweetie." Lilly said, planting a kiss on Hisao's neck.

"Thank you," Hisao responded and smiled, hugging his girlfriend, "Time sure has flown, hasn't it? Four years gone just like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis and was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hisao got up and opened it. A young women with purple hair and bangs over the right side of her face walked in, holding a gift bag. She smiled warmly

"Hey there Hisao, I've missed you." Hanako grinned slightly

"Likewise. How was your trip?"

"Fun. Mt. Fuji is lovely this time of year. Ran into some delays on the way back, but I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world."

"I'm so proud of you." Lilly said "Wasn't long ago you would shy away from such an event"

"Well, I'd say three years or so would count as a long time in my book. But yes, I am aware." Hanako nodded, her long bangs brushing against her scars.

"Given any more thought to graduate school?" Hisao asked

"Still thinking about it. It would help out, yes, but it not as necessary as it would be in some fields. There are quite a few programming jobs around even for undergraduate degrees. But I might. Are the two of you going?

"Probably," Hisao replied "Teaching positions are rather competitive now."

"Almost certainly," Lilly added "For the same reasons."

Hanako sat down and handed the gift bag to Hisao, who put it on a nearby table next to another one. She then pulled out a round stone from her pocket, looking like a cross between crystal and marble. "I brought this as entertainment" she said somewhat sheepishly "It allows people to look into parallel universes. Think it might be an interesting diversion"

"Parallel universes? Really? That's hard to believe." Lilly remarked

"It's true," Hanako replied "Very interesting stuff, such as the world where every human had Hulk powers. Or the one where cosmic storms touched down on Earth and turned the entire population of New York into superhumans."

"Seriously? I have got to try that out." Hisao chuckled slightly at the thought.. He was interrupted by a loud "thunk" at the door.

Not a knock so much as the sound of something slamming against it.

"Thats probably Rin," Hisao said and opened the door. Sure enough, the auburn hair girl was there. Around her neck was a bag.

"Hey there, good to see you," Hisao greeted her "How have you been?"

"Better," Rin said and smiled somewhat. It was nowhere near a full smile, but it was more than she gave most of the time "I have medicine now. Makes me half-normal. Or was that a question rhetorical? ."

"Actually I was genuinely interested," Hisao replied, "Glad to hear you've got your...mind straightened out."

"Its half straight. Diagonal," Rin replied, shrugging the bag off her neck and on the table with the other two. "My first med prevented me from painting at all. But now I am on balance. Half-Inspired-but-unable-to-express-myself and Half-Able-to-express-myself-but-uninspired. I'm now better. Than I was," She shrugged "How are you three?"

"I'm real good," Hisao replied, "It's great to be able to meet up with everyone. We really should get together more often. "

"I'm doing good also," Lilly replied, "Its nice to hear you're doing so well. Lots of interest in your paintings?"

"Decent," Rin replied "May have to compromise and start naming them. Don't want to. Still analyzing that. Databases are tricky to use without names."

Hanako chuckled slightly, "I bet." she replied, smiling.

The door opened. "Hey, birthday boy" Emi bounded into the room, and dropping a couple presents on the table. "Great to meet you again!" She dropped down on the floor and scratched right above her right artificial leg."You need to call more often. I hardly ever see you outside our morning runs!" She stuck her tongue out at Hisao

Hisao responded, "Sorry, its been busy lately."

"No excuse!" Emi replied "I mean, you talk with Lily every day."

"Well, we share an apartment."

"So? Call me!"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'll make a point to call more often. How are your studies?"

"Studies? Eh, I'm doing okay. My track team said that if I get any faster, they'll have to put me in the superhuman category! Now, they might have been joking. But can you believe that?"

"You are very fast." Rin replied

"Yeah, but do you know how many teams there are of that level? Like, one. I mean, if I was actually a superhuman it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm not!" She pouted then added "Happy birthday!"

The door burst open. Two girls sprung into the room, each carrying at least a half-dozen bags.

"Heya Hicchan!" Misha practically shouted into the apartment. She and Shizune put the bags on the table "We kinda went overboard with the shopping. Hope ya don't mind! Wahahaha!" She leaned over to Shizune and planted a kiss on her cheek. The rest of the room did a double take.

"Um, are you two-?" Hisao began but Misha cut him off

"Yeah, we are totally together now! Only took six years, right?" Shizune nodded and made several signs with her hands "Go ahead?" Misha interpreted "All right. About a year ago, I was hurt when that giant robot attacked Sendai. Spent time recovering in the hospital. When I got out, Shicchan was waiting for me." She leaned over and kissed Shizune again. Shizune then made several more gestures. Misha turned and translated "She says that its good to meet you all again. She is also very glad to be invited to the party. She's missed you all."

"I've missed you too." Lilly replied, "It's been a while since we last talked."

"So is this everyone?" Emi asked

"Almost," Hisao replied,"I invited one more person. He's kind of weird...Well, a lot weird. He's not that bad underneath though."

"Kenji, I'm guessing?" Lilly asked

"Well, yes."

Lilly nodded, her calm exterior hiding the fact that deep down she thought that was a really bad idea, and said, "Very well."

There was a short knock on the door.

"Must be him," Hisao said, "Come on in" He then called out.

The door opened, but to everyone's surprise, it wasn't Kenji. Two people were there. The first was a twenty-something Japanese women, dressed in a green top and black skirt. The second was a similarly aged red-headed lady in a black dress. They stood in the doorway for a moment.

"You're not Kenji," Hisao started, but Hanako interrupted him

"Mariko?" She cried with excitement "Sunfire?"

"Oh, Hello," Sunfire replied, "Um, sorry I didn't realize we would be interrupting something. We can come back later."

"You know her?" Hisao asked Hanako

"Yes," Hanako replied excitedly, "This is Mariko Yashida, she's from an alternate reality. I'm one of her biggest fans. I take it that is Spiderwoman?"

"Um, Yeah." The red-head responded "But I prefer Mary Jane when in civies"

"Should we leave? I don't want to be a bother." Sunfire asked

"No, it's fine," Hisao replied "Sunfire and Spiderwoman, huh? And alternate realities?"

"Yes," Sunfire replied, "I was on a team known as the Exiles. There were six or seven of us, and we were kidnapped from our homeworlds to go to other universes and "correct" them. At one point I met Hanako, though she knew my team from before. MJ here is my girlfriend, who I met on one of the worlds."

"But alternate realities?" Lilly asked "Really?"

"Yes, there are an infinite number of universes stacked back to back like cards in a deck. Its quite well known among the superhero community. MJ and I thought we'd go to a planet in excellent shape for our vacation, and since I promised Hanako I'd visit her when I got the chance..."

"I'm so glad you came." Hanako beamed and begin pointing to various people in the room, "I told you about Hisao and Lilly. That's Emi, She's Rin, and over there are Shizune and Misha. Misha's the one with the pink hair. So glad you came, your team has been my idols since I learned about you. "

"How'd you find out about them?" Emi asked.

Hanako reached onto the table and picked up the orb she had placed there earlier "This gem allows people to look into alternate realities. Bought it at an antique store about a year ago. Here, try it." She tossed it to Emi. Emi looked at her funny "How do I use it?" the girl asked

"Just focus hard."

Emi nodded and stared at the stone. After a moment, she looked up, "Huh pretty interesting."

"What'd you see?" Hisao asked

"Several versions of myself. One never lost her legs, one dyes her hair purple. One never met my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?" Hisao asked

"As of five months ago, yes. He's a cutie too. Here, you try." She tossed the stone to him. He caught it and looked inside. After a few minutes, he winced.

"What'd you see?" Lilly asked

"There are a lot of realities...where I don't survive my first heart attack." He shook his head sadly, "Um, you try" He tossed it toward Shizune. She attempted to grab it in midair, but missed by a few millimeters. The stone fell onto the tile floor, making a sickening crack as it did so.

"Aw, dammit," Hisao said. Shizune turned to pick the stone up, but as she reached down, it began to sparkle. Then it erupted in a burst of light that enveloped the room as the stone seemed to disintegrate.

"Dude, are you okay?" A voice called from the doorway. Kenji approached and walked over to the dazed Hisao,"I told you not to hang out with all these girls. Getting women into groups of three or more is just asking for trouble. And why the heck are there so many at once? You starting a harem or something?"

"No, they're friends." Hisao mumbled out, still dazed like the other people in the room.

"Friends? Why would you have so many female friends? Going undercover to infiltrate the conspiracy?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Sunfire asked, getting up "What conspiracy?"

"Why, the conspiracy of feminists to conquer the world of course!"

"I...you...what..." Sunfire was stuck dumb for a moment, then erupted "Are you NUTS?"

"Don't get him started, please." Hisao stated. The girls were starting to regain their composure.

Kenji however was giving his rant about being the "only sane man in an insane world" against the "feminist conspiracy." Most of the girls were looking at him like he was nuts, which he admittedly was.

"Why did you invite this guy?" Emi whispered to Hisao

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Hisao then turned to Kenji "Kenji. Kenji! HEY KENJI!"  
Kenji stopped his ranting.

"They're friends, okay?" Hisao said "Not part of the conspiracy. Friends. Please stop your shouting."

"Okay. Friends you say? I trust you. You're a cool guy," Kenji nodded and pushed his thick glasses up his nose. "So what was that flash of light anyway?"

"Well, Hanako had a stone that can see into other realities, and we dropped it, and-"

"Alternate realities?" Kenji yelped "Thats a Godstone! You know what happens when you drop a Godstone!"

"Godstone?" Spiderwoman gave him a screwed up look. "What?"

"Well, yeah. A stone touched by Gods. Thats what it is. Drop it and all the power comes flowing out into whoever is nearby. Gives them powers like... telekinesis, or mind control."

"And how do you know this?" Sunfire asked, clearly not believing a word Kenji was saying.

"Well, when I was fifteen I hacked the Fantastic Four's files. This was one of the ones I read before they traced the signal back and told me to knock it off. Thing was rather pissed in particular. But he wouldn't hit a guy with glasses. Saved my life, let me tell you. Always wear glasses, I say. Never know when a giant walking rock will bust you."

"Wait, what?," Misha said as Shizune signed "That's absurd."

"Well, its true. Would I lie to you? Well, you're a cute girl so probably. Possibly a feminist as well. But this is true! For example, did you know Spiderman is some news photographer? And he got his powers by getting a radioactive spider to bite him? Its true! I need a radioactive spider to get bit by. And get this- the reason Bruce Banner has multiple Hulks in him is that being abused by his father gave him multiple personality disorder. And get this: DAREDEVIL IS BLIND! So if I got a billy club and acrobatic skills, I could be daredevil too!" The group had skeptical looks, except for Sunfire and Spiderwomen who were looking at each other with extremely nervous glances. "Now if I had powers." Kenji continued "I would want time travel. Or the ability to read minds. Either would be a great help. Problem is, most superheros put great danger on the universe. Especially the X-men"

"Why, because we're mutants?" Sunfire asked, and then immediately regretted doing so.

"What? No, that's absurd. Mutants are fine." Kenji pushed his glasses up and then continued "Except feminist mutants, of course. No, the X-men's problem comes from the fact they keep coming back from the dead. Gums up the whole afterlife system. Did you know Pheonix alone has died like fifteen times? That's not good for reality. When I die, coming back would be a bad idea. Let the world remember me as the greatest hero of the modern era." Sunfire almost said something at that last point, but fortunately got interrupted.

"Shall we get to presents?" Lilly asked, desperately trying to change the subject

"Presents? Oh right," Kenji remarked "Um, I left mine in the car. Be right back." he turned and bolted down the hallway

"And I thought I had issues." Rin said in her usual monotone voice

Shizune signed something. Misha seemed to think for a moment before translating, "Why is he driving? Isn't he legally blind?"

"He is." Lilly said "He is also one of those people who doesn't..." She thought hard for a polite way to say it.

"Live in the same reality as the rest of us?" Hisao finished.

"Clearly." Spiderwoman remarked, "Sorry, but that guy's just..."

"Crazy, yes I know. But he's not that bad deep down.

"Sorry we interrupted your birthday party," Sunfire said "If you'd like I can contact the rest of my team and have them send some food down."

"Don't worry too much," Hisao replied. Then he added "What kind of food?"

"Anything. Our headquarters connects to every dimension in the multiverse," She pulled a small crystal device out of her pocket.

"What would you like? She asked the group

As the group gave suggestions, she relayed the orders into the object. Kenji walked in towards the end and plunked a large box onto the table

"Whatcha doing?" he asked Sunfire

"Getting food," she replied, clearly uneasy "Any requests?"

"How about a large pizza with pineapples, sushi, and spaghetti as the toppings," He grinned and added

"And a large bottle of whiskey. Actually, better make it three, we have a lot of people here."

Sunfire gave him a funny look but relayed the order into the device.

"Alright," Sunfire replied "It'll take a bit for them to summon the food, but it should arrive."

"Kenji" Emi piped up, "Why are you driving?"

"I'm not driving." He replied, "I hacked into my car's GPS and reprogrammed it to drive for me."

"But to do that, you'd have to rewrite the entire system from scratch" Hanako pointed out, "Plus add a ton of information to control the car, obey all the rules of the road-"

"It took a lot of work" Kenji admitted, "But I got it! I can rank the self-driving car up with my robotic surgeon, genetic scanner, and personal satellite network connect on my "projects accomplished" list. Up next I think I'll see if I can get my transdimenional network connection figured out. It's very difficult, because I have to sub-encrypt the pan-universal acess to-

"Presents," Hisao said, a slight note of exasperation escaping from his lips. "Let's do presents."

The rest of the group seemed thankful for the diversion. Hisao picked up Lilly's present from the table and began to unwrap it. Inside was an extremely fancy ornate antique picture frame, with a large photo of Lilly, Hanako and himself framed inside.

"Awww," he said "Thank you Lilly. It's Beautiful"

"My pleasure" Lilly responded "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Hisao then picked up Hanako's present, and opened the wrapping.

"A kindle! Very nice, Hanako, thank you very much." Hisao smiled at his friend

Hanako smiled back "Yes, I thought since you liked to read so much...well.." She blushed a little.

"I do, thank you very much." He then picked up Emi's two presents. The first held a series of weights in various sizes along with a manual on various exercises they could be used for.

"Still on my case about exercising huh?" Hisao teased "Thank you Emi. I may add that to my current regimen." He then opened the other one "A boxed set of Saikano huh? 'The last love song on this little planet?' Are you trying to tell me something?" He gave her a cheeky smile and she stuck her tongue out at him

"Of course not, I just thought you'd enjoy it." She replied.

"Very nice Emi, thank you." Hisao smiled, then picked up Rin's present and opened it. As he had guessed, inside was one of her paintings. As with most of her works, it was extremely abstract, this one appear similar to a crowd of faces but quite distorted.

"Thank you Rin, Your art is excellent, as always."

Rin nodded.

Hisao then turned to the pile of presents Misha and Shizune had bought. He unwrapped them and thanked the two after each one. They had really gone overboard, and he couldn't help but wonder if they had an agenda, much as they used to when he saw them on a regular basis. But he pushed the thought out of his mind.

"So, whats the strangest universe you have ever been to?" Hanako asked Sunfire, who thought for a moment.

"There are a number of candidates for that." Sunfire replied, "In terms of sheer bizarreness, I'd have to go for planet populated by Antelope men. And I'm being perfectly serious here. Antelope men. How the heck does something like that evolve?"

"What would be your second pick?"

"Probably the reality where the Fantastic Four were Sol Brodsky, Flo Steinberg, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee. Or maybe that one where Galactus was turned into Elvis Presley. Or possibly the one where Conan the Barbarian was dumped into modern day New York and wound up joining the Avengers. Or maybe..."

"How many realities have you been to?" Hanako inquired

"I lost count around mission eighty." Sunfire shrugged, "And it's not over yet. There are still hundreds of worlds left that need to be fixed. It's good to take a break though."

After finishing opening the various books, CDs, and DVDs Shizune and Misha had bought, Hisao picked up the extremely large present Kenji had got him.

"Oh geeze." he almost said when the wrapping paper fell. Inside was a brand new computer. Looking at the specs he was awestruck, octa-core processor, eight gigs of ram, top of the line graphics card...it must have cost over a hundred thousand yen.

"Um..Wow.." He got out

"I'll take it you like it" Kenji said, smiling

"Yes, but isn't it...a little much?" Hisao was having a hard time articulating. It was always extremely awkward when someone bought you a gift that was more expensive than the occasion really deserved. He really didn't want to appear ungrateful, but he wasn't sure if he could accept it.

"Oh, its no problem," Kenji waved dismissively "Us fellow anti-conspirators need to stick together. You'll need a mean computer to fight back, so I got you one. Don't even bother trying to reject it. You need this man."

Hisao thought about what to say next, but then everyone was distracted by a "blink" sound. A pile of food appeared in the corner of the room.

"Food!" Emi cried, and the group dove into their meals.


	2. The Morning After

Hisao groaned and got up off the floor, trying to quiet the pounding in his head. He tried to remember what had happened. The food had arrived, they had eaten cake, then Kenji started passing his whiskey bottles around. Hisao groaned a second time, and then a third to emphasis the point. Why did he do these things. Every time he drank alcohol he wound up overdoing it and got a horrible hangover the next morning. "_Last time I'm doing this"_, he thought. Of course he had thought the same thing the last time he got drunk...and the time before that...and the time before that...all the way back to his first experience with alcohol on Hanako's birthday four years ago.

Looking around the room, he saw the rest of the group still passed out in various locations around the room. It was thankfully Sunday, so there were no classes. Trying to ignore the feeling in his head, he went into the kitchen and began to cook breakfast. Figuring that bacon and eggs was his best bet with this many people, he got out a bowl and began breaking a carton of eggs. After mixing them and beginning to scramble them, he heard movement behind him.

"Good morning Hanako," he said "Did you sleep well?"

"Could have been better," She replied

"Bad dreams?"

"No, good ones. Made it so much more disappointing to wake up."

Hisao nodded. Her nightmares were long gone, but they had been replaced by dreams where her face gets healed. She seemed to have a bit of trouble with them, as they reignited the longing she had to be normal, which was a virtual impossibility. She knew this of course, but when she awoke there was always that rush of disappointment from losing something she could never have.

"I understand. I'm here if you need to talk." Hisao replied

"No, its okay. I'm able to deal with them."

Hisao nodded "Very well. I think you and I are the only ones up. Didn't drink last night?"

"Just a little. Whiskey tastes pretty bad anyway."

Hisao chuckled "Its an acquired taste. For sure."

Something was dancing at the edge of Hisao's mind, as if he was being whispered to from a long way away, but he ignored the feeling.

"So, planning anything for today?" Hanako asked

"I was thinking we might head to a restaurant, or go shopping, but the way everyone's plastered from last night, I'm not sure its going to happen. I hurt pretty bad myself, to be honest."

Hanako laughed a little and patted him on the shoulder, "Should have been more careful with the alcohol, huh?"

"Yeah. I really need to learn my limits."

They talked for a bit longer, and the eggs finished cooking. Scooping them onto a big plate, Hisao then started on the Bacon. As he was laying it out in the pan, Shizune and Misha walked over to the kitchen, now awake.

"Hey Hicchan," Misha said, her voice sounding rather tired, even with its constant perkiness,"Cooking for us?"

"Yeah. You sound like I feel."

"Everything I do, I do with gusto." Misha grinned. Shizune was making a number of signs with her hands

"Is that you talking or Shizune?"

"Me in this case. Shicchan said that she doesn't feel bad at all because she knows exactly how much alcohol she can drink without feeling ill effects."

"That sounds just like her."

Misha translated, and Shizune nodded and made a couple signs

"Of course, I am always in control." Misha explained. "So we going shopping today? I heard you mentioning that to Hanako."

"If people feel up to it. And I thought you were asleep when I said that."

"Shicchan was, I wasn't. I was just trying to wake her. She is a very deep sleeper. And we are most definitely up to it." She grinned widely.

"I WASN'T ASLEEP!" a voice screamed from the main room. Hisao groaned. Kenji was up, and he probably woke everyone else as well.

As Hisao finished the bacon and strode into the other room, he saw Kenji. The guy with the glasses turned to Hisao and began talking

"Great party huh?" he began "Best one I've been to in years. Now, let me explain. I wasn't sleeping. I was planning for the counterstrike, like Sherlock Holmes did in The Man With the Twisted Lip. Soon we can expose the conspiracy for everyone to see-"

"Kenji, its alright if you fell asleep-" Hisao began

"No, Sleep is the enemy. Well, feminists are the enemy. Same thing. Feminists invented sleep to steal time away from men and non-feminist women. That way, they can have an extra eight hours to plan their global takeover. If you never sleep, you beat them at their own game. But lots of people have to not do it. So never sleep."

Hisao started to say something but Kenji cut him off "I have to leave. I have to leave and gather supplies for my next mission. It was great hanging with you, dude. I'll contact you in the usual way to plot our next move. But keep an eye on these girls, some of them strike me as the type to stab you in the back. That one over their looks like my class leader from high school, who was in the mafia." He motioned to the awakening Lilly, and then looked at Hisao "I have to go. I'll contact you." he then turned and opened the door, strode out and slammed it behind him.

"Thank goodness he's gone." a half awake Emi mumbled, strapping on her prosthetic legs.

"I fell asleep," Rin said "I woke up in a new room. This is a new room, right?"

"Yes Rin," Emi said "It is."

"I thought so, but I wasn't sure."

"So, how did you know that guy?" Sunfire asked

"Well, I met everyone here at Yamaku" Hisao said. "Kenji was in the room across from mine. He's actually a pretty nice guy deep down."

"Is he schizophrenic?" Spiderwoman asked

"Not sure." Hisao shrugged "Why?"

"Well, it just seems that way. The method of talking, the long rambling speeches, the belief in a 'feminist conspiracy' it certainly strikes me as paranoid schizophrenia."

Hisao shrugged "Maybe he is. Well, anyway. I cooked some bacon and eggs. Maybe afterward we could go shopping, if everyone feels up to it."

"That would be very nice." Lilly said.

Hisao nodded and went back into the kitchen, portioning out the food and bringing it to the guests.

"I appreciate you letting us join in, Hisao," Sunfire said, "I'm sorry we weren't exactly invited"

"Oh no problem," Hisao replied "Any friend of Hanako's is a friend of mine. And the food you got was awesome. I haven't had caviar of that quality in ages. You must have a pretty good time if you can dine on such things whenever you like."

"Well, it was rough for a while. Minimal breaks, constant stress, friends dying... I actually got killed at one point."

"Really?" Emi asked

"Yes. But a teammate of mine, Magick, brought me back."

"Your team can raise the dead?" Hisao said, a bit surprised.

"Under certain circumstances, yes. But it's complicated. Don't worry to much about it."

"So.." Emi began, seeming a bit uncomfortable "When you died, what did you see? Was there a heaven?"

"Its hard to remember, honestly. I remember being unable to breath and suffocating, I remember suddenly awakening with my teammates around me, in between is hard to say. There was a light, if I recall correctly, and I think I felt myself falling down a deep tunnel. So I think there was a heaven. I didn't visit it though, wasn't dead long enough."

Emi nodded, seemingly assured.

"So where did Mary Jane come into this?" Misha asked

"Well, I came from a reality taken over by superpowered techno-organic zombies." The redhead responded "The Exiles came to find a cure, and eventually did so, but it didn't make up for the fact that half the planet died in the process."

"Sounds nasty" Hisao remarked "What was your universe like, Sunfire?"

Sunfire face clouded slightly "Could have been better. We weren't invaded by aliens or conquered by sentinels or anything like that. My problems were more of a personal nature."

"Because you're a mutant?" Misha asked "Or because you're a lesbian?"

"Both. My parents were very strict. To say the least. When they found I was a lesbian, they hit the roof. When my powers manifested, it got worse. We fought. Eventually, they disowned me. I don't really like talking about it." She shook her head.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have pried" Misha said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Its okay. You know, you two are really lucky to have each other. You make a real cute couple."

Shizune did a double take. Misha burst into peels of laughter

"Wahaha! That we are!" Shizune moved back slightly so that Misha couldn't see, and made some signs.

Sunfire struggled to read them, as she had not used her sign language skills in a long time.

[Can you understand this?] it read. Sunfire nodded

[

When we get a chance. I want to talk to you in private. I would like some] Shizune paused and the signed [advice].

[Sure thing] Sunfire signed back. Misha's eyes opened

"Oh, you can do signs to? That's awesome! Sorry, I missed what you said Shicchan. What was that?"

[I just was asking if she was going to join us for shopping] Shizune signed.

"She'll come shopping with us? Great!"

"Yeah. I brought a car." Sunfire said. Then trying to sign as the same time she said "How about MJ and I take Shizune and Rin. I presume someone else can carry the other five?"

"Yeah I got a car that seats five" Hisao said.

"Can't I come with Shicchan?" Misha asked

[It's alright Misha.] Shizune signed [I just want to know these two more, their tales of alternate realities seem intriguing.]

Misha translated then thought for a moment and grinned "Well, okay. We're not joined at the hip after all"


	3. Heart To Heart

[So whats on your mind, Shizune?] Sunfire signed as Mary Jane drove down the street. Rin meanwhile was starting out a window with her usual blank expression. [Having trouble with Misha?]

Shizune hesitated, she needed advice, yes, but was it a really good idea to trust this lady she had only known for about a day? She paused for a long time, then finally figured it was worth a shot.

[Not with her exactly] The blue-haired girl signed back

[What then?] Sunfire inquired

[Its a long story. You don't know this, but she had been trying to get with me for about six years before now.]

[So, it took you a long time to reciprocate?]

[Very long time. I really messed up. I treated her as an extension of myself, rather than her own person.] Shizune shook her head, clearly annoyed with herself.

[Don't be so hard on yourself.] Sunfire reached to pat her on the back, but Shizune shifted away

[Look I try very hard to be honest.] Shizune signed deliberately [So believe me when I say I screwed up. Big time. I like to think I do well with a lot of people, but even I make mistakes. It kills me to go around Misha's back like this, but I need to talk to someone about this, and its nearly impossible to find a psychiatrist fluent in sign]

[So you chose me]

[Yes. You know sign, and you seem to have a lot of experience on sexual issues. Also, you'll be leaving soon so you won't tell anyone. Right?] Shizune looked at Sunfire expectantly

Sunfire nodded [Right. So, you were being a jerk to Misha?]

[Yes. I really should have done better. I try to think I'm a decent person overall, because I try to make people reach their full potential and get people motivated, but well... Anyway. It was less than a year ago I had my epiphany] Shizune was clearly going through a great deal of emotions, signing faster and faster with each statement. Sunfire could tell this had been welling up for a long time beforehand.

[What might that be?]

[There was a giant robot that attacked Sendai about ten months ago. The two of us were out shopping when the robot broke into the mall and began firing into the crowd. Most people screamed and fled, but being deaf I was completely unaware. Misha noticed it, and wound up taking an energy blast for me.] Shizune winced slightly at the memory.

[I'm sorry.] Sunfire signed.

[Yes, well. The doctors thought she wouldn't make it. The blast tore right through the side of her body, and she lost a lot of blood... it wouldn't have happened if not for her depression.]

[Depression? She's possibly the most cheerful person I met on any reality] Sunfire gave her a funny look.

[She's very good at not showing it. Very subtle changes. She had been upset for a couple days beforehand, like she had on occasion in the past. I could tell, but I went on like I normally did, figuring she'd get over it. When the attack happened...she could have just yanked me out of the way, but instead she leapt in front of the blast, like she wanted to get hurt.] Shizune shook her head sadly.

[Maybe she just couldn't think, just react on instinct] Sunfire suggested

[Maybe. But I think otherwise. I think she was so down about my not responding to her desires she got to the point that she would rather die than live without me. I don't know if she actually thought that, but I think that at a subconscious level, it was there. She wouldn't act on it normally, but when this came along, she went on her gut feeling.]

[That's not healthy] Sunfire shook her head

[Maybe not, but have you ever lost someone and felt like you would never get over it? Misha is very cheerful most of the time, but on occasion she gets into these blue funks that can last for days. She would have felt better after a while, but I nearly lost her anyway. It got me thinking. About a lot of things. My relationship with her, my feud with my cousin, my ultra-competitive nature...] Shizune shrugged

[Nearly losing someone can spark that kind of introspection] Sunfire replied

[It certainly did in my case. It took a lot of soul searching, but I finally decided to change. I wanted friends, I want to mend things with my cousin, and deep down, I did want Misha. The thing is...]

[Yeah?]

The next few phrases were signed so fast Sunfire could barely make them out. [The thing is that bisexuality went against the entirety of my upbringing. My father was extremely against any form of alternate sexuality. He impressed that on me as much as he could. So being with Misha feels...wrong. Like I'm committing a crime. Even though I do love her. That's why I rejected her six years ago. That's why I kept her at a distance all these years. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. It sounds like you went through something similar.]

[Very much so. My parents hated my lesbianism] Sunfire nodded briefly.

[So how did you deal with it?]

Sunfire thought for a long moment [I abandoned my parents. I decided that they were assholes and didn't deserve me as a child. I know that is a harsh thing to say, but its what worked for me. It was only after rejecting their memory that I was able to accept myself. And then I joined the X-men, who were nothing but accepting towards me. Having a loving environment did wonders]

[But how did you accomplish that? I can't just turn off the love for my dad like a switch] Shizune shrugged.

[It's not an easy thing, I fully admit that you can't do it in one day, or one week, or even in one month. Whats your dad like other than this?] Sunfire inquired.

[Let me put it this way. He spent twelve years trying to get me to talk, thinking I was just being stubborn, rather than mute.] A glint of rage showed in Shizune's face.

[That's...unfortunate Try to thing of him in logical terms, rather than emotional. Realize he's a flawed human, and that his trying to get you to reject your bisexuality is wrong. And know that you have your friends to support you] Sunfire reached out to pat Shizune on the back. This time, she didn't shy away.

[I don't know if I'd go that far] Shizune shrugged

[Pardon?]

[I don't know if I'd call most of them "friends". I try to be friends with them, but it seems like there's a bit of a gap between us. They don't maximize themselves like I do.]

[Then build the friendships up.] Sunfire signed simply

[I suppose, it's just hard. I'm competitive to the max, and the others...aren't.] Shizune shrugged.

[You'd make a great superhero.] Sunfire replied

Shizune gave a silent laugh [Probably so, most superheros do seem to have a similar drive as me. But I don't have any powers.]

[That might change]

[What, you actually buy into what Kenji said? The guys a kook of the highest order.] Shizune rolled her eyes

[Well, when he was babbling about what he saw in the Fantastic fours files...All those things are actually true in most realities I've visited.]

[You're joking.] Shizune gave Sunfire a funny look.

[No, I'm perfectly serious. Spiderman is a news photographer, Hulk has dissociative identity disorder, and Daredevil is blind. All those things are well kept secrets. I highly doubt Kenji would have discovered them by accident.] There was a slight grin on Sunfire's face.

[A blind superhero? That's ridiculous. And you're talking to people who have spent their lives overcoming disabilities.]

[It's true. And this is far from an isolated instance. When Iron Man first begin his career, his heart was constantly in danger from shrapnel lodged in his chest. His armor was all that kept it beating.] Sunfire replied [And then there's the fact Dr. Strange gained his magical powers when searching for a way to heal his hands, which had been damaged in a car wreck. The X-men were founded by a paraplegic. And then there's all the heroes with cybernetic arms or legs or eyes or bodies, along with Cable's techo-organic virus, Deadpool's scars, Chamber's missing mouth, Karima Sharpander's half-sentinel body, Puck's dwarfism, Strong Guy's chronic pain...my point is, there's no disability that can prevent a very determined person from becoming a superhero.]

[If you say so. But do you really buy into this 'godstone' idea?]

[I admit I've never encountered such a concept in any world I've been to, but its far from impossible. Concepts like solid sound and unstable molecules are absurd on paper, but they exist.]

[But to the point, do you have other advice on how I can overcome my trepidation? I just... I think I just want to be able to love Misha back without feeling like a monster] Shizune shook her head sadly.

[Generally speaking, there are a few important things you need to understand about yourself. The first is that you are not alone. Millions of people have this happen to them and need to learn to accept it. Maybe you could look up a GLBT support group in this area. The second is to realize that there is nothing wrong with you. Being bi is completely within the norms of this society. Third is that I would establish your strengths. The more you think you can do something, the better you will feel about yourself. You have a lot of things you're good at, from what I understand?]

[Damn straight. I'm smart, capable and probably the most motivated person I know] Shizune gave a quick grin.

[Good, that confidence will help you quite a bit. The most important thing I can tell you is that whatever mistakes you made in the past, you can do better. You say you weren't a good friend to Misha, but I think that even if that's true, you can make up for it. I'd say Misha is very lucky to have you. You know, when I was thirteen, I told my best friend I loved her, thinking she felt the same way. She didn't, and I spent three years trying to be close to her before my parents kicked me out and I joined Xavier's crew. It hurt for the longest time. I would have given almost anything to have her finally return to me and reciprocate my affection. I'm sure Misha is overjoyed that you finally came around, even if it is a painful process.]

[Yes, when she finally came out of the hospital and I told her I loved her, she hugged me for half an hour.]

[Exactly. She loves you, and you, while scared about it, love her. So take it one day at a time. It may not feel right at the moment, but trust me, you'll learn to accept yourself.] Sunfire grinned.

[I hope so.] Shizune looked down slightly.

[One more thing. I'd suggest you tell Misha about this.] Sunfire added.

[Because?]

[Because couples shouldn't keep secrets from each other.]

There was long pause.

[Very well.] Shizune signed.

"I think I'm going in circles" Mary Jane said suddenly as she pulled the car over. "Can one of you tell me how to get to the mall?"

Shizune blinked, having been so engrossed in her conversation she had completely forgotten about the other two people in the car. Sunfire translated, and Shizune nodded and began making signs with her hands.

"We're very close" Sunfire explained. "Turn right on the third street down to the right. Then take that road for half a mile."

Seven light years away, in a golden starship, a blue figure in golden robes looked down at a computer console.

"Tre-alter energy detected." he mumbled. "Been a while since one of those stones have been triggered."

He looked around at a series of readouts.

"Seven recipients." Pushing a few buttons on a console, images of seven figures appeared on the screen and profiles flicked past his field of vision

"No arms... no legs... defective heart...disfiguring scars by human standards... Ridiculous, this is undoubtedly the least capable superhero gathering I have seen in ages..."

As data flicked past on the screen, something caught his eye. He blinked as the image of a blue haired girl with glasses appeared on his screen.

"Shizune Hakamichi." he read aloud, "Alpha level motivation, Omega level competitiveness. Deaf and mute...International Master chess title. EXCELLENT! Finally some decent competition!"

The Grandmaster let out a loud laugh, then focused his monitor on the blue haired girl.


	4. Development

"Hisao, are you alright?" Hanako asked, seeing Hisao clutching his head.

"Just aftereffects from the whiskey I think," he replied, although he wasn't sure at all if that was the case. It was like he was hearing whispering around him coming from his the general direction of his friends. He couldn't make out details but it was bothering him. He took a couple deep breaths and mentally focused on an image of a grassy field. The noise quieted down and stopped. "That's better" he finally said.

Hanako nodded and looked around nervously at the crowds in the plaza. Despite the great progress she had made in overcoming her social anxiety, large groups of people still didn't sit well with her.

"I wonder if they got lost," Emi remarked "Its been fifteen minutes."

"There they are!" Misha pipped up and pointed. Sure enough, Mariko's car drove into the parking lot and parked next to Hisao's vehicle. The four girls got out and walked over to the other five members of the group. They discussed possibilities for shopping, and eventually decided to head to a nearby mall.

"So Mariko," Hanako asked as they began walking "I was wondering, since you're from a parallel world, how do you buy things in other universes?"

Sunfire blushed a little "Well, while I was on the team one of the early members, Magnus, had created credit cards that fool the computer into letting you make purchases," She said, embarrassed. "We didn't like doing it, but there wasn't really any other option. Now, however, we are able to take money from universes that were destroyed. It's a lot more moral."

"Huh. So this Magnus, what was he like?"

"Not sure. I joined the team when he got killed in a nuclear explosion. None of us really knew him though since he was only alive for our first mission. From what I heard, he had Magneto's power but at ten times the level. As well as a touch that could turn people to steel."

Hanako suddenly noticed a man running down the sidewalk straight towards her. On instinct, she put her hands out to stop the man, and the guy seemed to crash, tripping over nothing at all, landing in a heap in front of her.

"Oh, sorry miss." He stammered out, and took off again. Hanako blinked. She had put her hands out...and the man had seemed to run into something. She shook her head and put the thought out of her mind. It was time to shop.

After a hard day of shopping, the money began to run low. The group returned to Hisao and Mariko's cars, and from there parted ways. Aside from the two Exiles, each of the seven friends had wound up with living quarters in the general vicinity of the same university. It hadn't been entirely planned. Hisao, Lilly, and Hanako had gone out of there way to live in the same building, with Hisao and Lilly sharing one place and Hanako living just a floor away. Emi and Rin wanted to stay close and so had picked rooms in a building they could be near each other. And Shizune and Misha, finally together, had chosen an apartment near the university as well. It had worked out nicely, as now the seven could stay in contact easily.

Hanako stared off in the distance in her room. Slowly, she reached out her hand and tried to conjure up whatever she had done early. The man had tripped over air, and she felt she had done..something. Something she was now trying to replicate. At first nothing happened, but as she concentrated, the air began to shimmer slightly and a nearly-clear transparent field was created before her. She reached out and touched it. It was solid. She smiled.

"I have powers." she whispered.

It was a comforting thought in a way. She wasn't really the type to bust drug dealers or take on supervillains, but having powers was a major stepping stone. It was well known that superheroes could recover from almost anything. Break a leg, and it heals in days. Lose an arm, get a cybernetic replacement. Die, and sooner or later you'd be brought back to life. It gave her hope that somehow, someday, her burns could be healed.

Several miles away, Shizune had just finished explaining to Misha her reluctance in their relationship.

[So] Misha signed [Everything, from your initial rejection of me to the distance I have felt at times, was caused because you are uncomfortable with your bisexuality?]

[Essentially, yes] Shizune replied [I am very sorry it took me so long to be honest, but this is a difficult situation]

[Oh, Shicchan. I understand. When I first learned I was a lesbian I thought I was messed up as well. Took me years to come to terms with it. I wish I had known, I could have helped.]

[Its not an easy thing to admit. I had kept this bottled in side of me for the longest time. When I saw Mariko, I was fit to burst and I wound up pouring all my emotions out to her. I'm sorry I didn't do it with you.]

[It's alright. I'm just glad you finally can tell me. That's all that matters. However, I understand if you need some time to process things. If you need me to wait, I'll wait for you.]

[No, Misha. You already waited almost six years for me to come around. You shouldn't have to wait any longer.]

[Thank you, Shicchan. I love you.]

[And I love you too.]

[I will support you in any way I can. If I ever make you feel uncomfortable, let me know.]

[Thank you.]

Shizune grimaced. There was a spontaneous pain all over her body, like her insides were bursting to get out of her skin.

[Are you alright?] Misha signed

[I think I need some air.] Sizune got up and walked out onto the balcony, trying to calm the pain. It wasn't working. She took deep breaths and stared at the city lights before her. As the pain continued to climb clutched her gut and doubled over.

Misha walked over [Do I need to call an ambulance?] she signed

[No] Shizune signed [Get away Misha, I have a bad feeling about this.] Her insides were on fire. The pain was building to a crescendo.

[Shicchan-]

[Misha, Get Away!] she signed the last two words with as much energy as she could muster. She leaned over the balcony railing and let out a soundless scream at the pain. She trust her hands out over the bars of the raining and two lances of energy came pouring out them into the night sky. Then her feet ignited in a similar fashion. She rocketed up over the balcony and began to fly. Misha gazed at her girlfriend in wonder.

[Shicchan, you're flying! How is that possible?] She signed out, but Shizune's gaze was elsewhere.

The pain faded inside Shizune's body, and she suddenly became aware of the fact she was floating in mid-air from energy bursts emitting from her feet. Aim and blast she thought. She swiveled around to face the balcony to her apartment and then concentrated on her feet. They emitted another burst of energy and she rocked back to her starting location, though she hadn't aimed quite right and wound up hitting her face on the wall.

[How did you do that?] Misha signed [I didn't know you had powers!]

[Neither did I] Shizune replied, feeling her nose to make sure it wasn't bleeding. [I guess Kenji was onto something when he was talking about a 'godstone']

[So, you think I might gain powers too?]

[Its possible.]

[That would be awesome! We could go out patrolling together! So what was flying like?]

[You know how on the swings at the park we went on as kids, at the apex of the swing, you'd feel nearly weightless? Its like that. Quite fun, actually.]

[You think maybe you could carry me?]

[Um..I don't know, you're kinda heavy. And don't you get dizzy from heights?]

[I'm undergoing treatment for that. But you have a point. I wouldn't want to get dropped] Misha giggled and then added [Going to try again?]

Shizune thought for a moment and then replied [Yes, actually. I think I will. This is fun.]

Emi was running home late at night, her track practice having taken longer than she had planned. The streets were mostly barren of people, and the cool breeze felt good on her sweaty body.

"Um, hey!" a voice called out.

She stopped and looked into the darkness, trying to figure where the voice was coming from. She then did a double take. Under a few trees there was a man. About twenty years of age, his hair was an dark brown with a brilliant white streak in the middle. More unusual than that though was his garb. He was clad from neck down in a one-piece, bright red costume that covered every inch of his body from the neck down. There were no seams or pieces to the outfit and it seemed to shimmer and shift in the moonlight.

"Hello?" Emi asked the figure

"Hey, can you tell me where I am?"

"Main street. Right near the university" she replied

"No, I mean, what city. I was going somewhere. Or coming back from somewhere...I don't remember."

He shook his head "My mind is missing pieces, I think I've forgotten much of what I've did."

"Um, we're in Tokyo. How do you not know?"

The man shook his head again. "I'm not sure. I've forgotten almost everything. I know that this is wrong though." Part of his costume retracted, exposing a hand. He touched Emi's shoulder with his palm and shook his head "I shouldn't be able to touch you. Not sure why."

"How'd you do that with the outfit? And what do you mean you shouldn't be able to touch me?"

"I don't remember. I thought my touch could kill, but it doesn't. I touched a dog when I first awoke and nothing happened. So I figured if I could touch animals, I could touch people. And I can, though I'm not sure why. I can't...I think I've lost myself. Can you help me?"

Emi looked at him oddly, then a look of understanding came across her.

"You're suffering from amnesia, aren't you? I'm so sorry. Do you have a place to go?"

"I don't think so. I think time was broken at one point, but that might have been a lie. There was a big explosion, and I was caught. I couldn't move on. I felt myself drawn to this place. Drawn to you in particular. Nobody else seemed to notice me. But you noticed me. Do you know why?"

"I don't know what you're asking. Can you be more clear?"

The man took a breath "Ok, I remember that someone told me time had been broken. I remember being in a big explosion. Then I was yanked into this city. I wondered around for a while, but couldn't interact with anyone. Then I felt your presence. You were like a beacon. Now you can see me. I can't explain it better than that. Sorry. But I think...I think I need help. Can you help me?"

Emi gave him a funny look, trying to figure out what he meant. Finally she shrugged "Help you how?"

The man looked down, "I don't have anyplace to go. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you help me find a place to stay?"

Emi hesitated. She certainly didn't have the money to rent him an apartment. Maybe she could let him stay on her couch for a few days, but was that really a good idea? He could be a serial killer, or lunatic, or something equally dangerous...But the fact was, he needed help. She could look the other way, but then what kind of person would she be? She always prided herself on her willingness to help others when they needed it.

"Whats your name?" She finally asked

"Maxwell. Maxwell Lehnsherr"

"Alright Max. You can come to my place." She took off running. Max floated behind her.

Emi looked back "Oh, you've got powers?"

Max shrugged "Yes."

"Huh, interesting. Anyway, my apartment is right here."

Rin sat on the floor of her studio, staring at her latest work. It wasn't quite right, but she couldn't place the finger on what. Deciding to take a break, she got up and walked over to the kitchen table. Reaching one foot over the surface, she grabbed a pill bottle between her big toe and the next one over and lowered it to the floor. She sat down, and with practiced dexterity swiveled the cap open by holding the bottle with one foot and twisting the top with the other. She gently shook out a bright blue capsule, then grabbed it with her foot and stuffed it in her mouth. Closing the bottle, she thought for a long moment and then finally made a decision.

"Needs more orange" she said to nobody in particular "Earth mountain orange." She looked over at the series of paint cans to the side of her room.

"Need to mix some" she stated plainly. Walking over to her art area, she looked at the paint bowl and then at the cans, then the paint bowl again. She was about to pick up the can of orange paint, when there was a loud "pop" and some orange paint appeared in the bowl. Surprised, she looked into the orange paint can. It was slightly lower than she had left it the last time she mixed it.

"Little too light. Needs some red."

She walked over to the red can, when another "pop" occurred and a small amount of red paint appeared on top of the orange. She blinked and gave her half smile.

"Oh. Teleportation," she remarked "Very convenient."

"Hisao, there's something you should know."

Hisao looked up from the computer he was setting up and turned to his girlfriend "Of course Lilly, is there a problem?"

Lilly shook her head "Not a problem. Today something very odd has been happening. I wasn't sure at first, but it's been getting stronger."

Hisao winced. He could guess the general idea where this was going, but he wasn't sure of the details.

"You're developing a superpower, aren't you?"

"I guess you could call it that. When I was at the mall I started..."sensing" things for lack of a better word. I seem to be developing a fifth sense."

Hisao blinked, that wasn't quite what he expected her to say. "Really? That's great, Lilly! Whats it like?"

Lilly chuckled "Well, trying to explain it is kind of like when you tried to help me visualize colors . There really aren't any words to describe it. It's like... its a bit like a cross between hearing and touch. I can, for example, tell you the silicon in the computer you are setting up was mined in Norway, the plastic was formed in a plant in China, the whole thing was assembled in Texas..."

"So you can talk to objects?"

"Not talk. Well, sort of. Not exactly. More like I can sense their history. I can't really explain it. I do think I might be able to avoid running into them, however. I think I can sense the location of where things are"

Hisao's voice took an excited tone "Really? That's incredible!"

"It helps, yes. I still need a lot of practice though. There is a lot of information to process at once. I wouldn't exactly call it a superpower..."

"Hey, its super to me. There's something you should know to."

"What might that be?"

"I seem to be developing telepathy. At first I thought I was having a bout of schizophrenia, but the words I am hearing seem to be congruent with people's thoughts. Let me try something"

Hisao closed his eyes and thought really hard _Can you hear this?_ He thought out.

"Yes... that was not in my ears though, was it?" Lilly asked

"No, I was projecting mentally. So, yeah, I think I'm becoming a telepath."

"You seem to be taking this in stride quite well."

"I guess. At first I freaked because I thought I was going insane. I was very relieved when I was alone with you and started to realize what I thought I was hearing was actually your thoughts. And I must say, you have extremely beautiful thoughts. But more than that..."

Lilly blushed slightly. Hisao then added "There is one more thing I'd like to try, though I can't promise it will work."

"What might that be?"

"I want to try transmitting my field of view into your head. See if you might be able to see through my eyes."

Lilly smiled slightly "Interesting thought. Go ahead sweetie."

Hisao smiled and opened his eyes. He looked around. For a moment he considering focusing on Rin's painting, which was hung up on a wall nearby, but immediately discounted the idea. Even he had trouble with her art. Better to do something simple. He finally decided on a nearby potted plant, and focused on it, sending the image into her brain.

"I don't understand, what is going on?" He heard her say

"Can you perceive this image?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what this is."

Hisao stopped transmitting the image. "I'm sorry. I was worried that might happen."

"That what might happen?" Lilly asked

"That you wouldn't be able to understand sight. I did some reading this subject a while back, of people who recover their sight after long periods of time being blind. There's very little research as such cases are quite rare, but in the case studies I've read the visual center of the brain is undeveloped and often taken over by other senses. Since you've been blind since birth, you can't...perceive the sights like I do. You just don't have the experience. It can be adjusted to, but it takes a long time. I'm very sorry it's not an easy fix."

"Don't apologize. Its very sweet you thought this through to the level you did."

"I just...I was hoping..." Hisao swallowed and regained his composure "I'd like to help you with this. This could take a great deal of practice, but I'll be with you every step of the way. However long it takes, weeks, months, years..."

"Hisao, it's alright. I've managed fine without sight for twenty two years, you don't need to do this."

"Lilly, we've been together for four years and you know how much I love you. I want to help you see. This telepathy is a gift, and I was given it for a reason. So that you have the chance to perceive things you never had the chance to. Maybe there's no manual on this kind of thing, but I'm going to do my utmost so that you have the chance."

Lilly chuckled, "Well, you seem to have your mind made up. How would you suggest we proceed?"

"Well, to be honest I'm not entirely sure. Like I said, there's no manual. How about we spend a few hours each day where I send you images of what I see, and work from there?"

"Very well."

Hisao nodded and began sending images into her brain, and for the rest of the night they practiced.


	5. Relationships

Shizune woke to Misha shaking her shoulders vigorously. As she regained her bearings, she looked at her girlfriend. Misha was grinning widely, but had bags under her eyes as if she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

[Misha] Shizune signed crossly [Its four in the morning! Class isn't for hours!]

[I know I know] her pink haired friend responded [But I just couldn't wait! I've found my ability! Took all night, but I got it!]

[All night... You've been trying out superpowers since I got back home from flying at eleven last night?]

[Before actually, I started right after you left. At first I couldn't figure out what I was given. I tried everything. Linguistic fields, magnetic control, ice creation, plant communication, flame manipulation, eccrtera.]

[Flame manipulation... you started a fire in our apartment?]

[Small one. Put it out as soon as I confirmed it was not the case.]

[Misha, that was reckless and irresponsible! If it had gotten out of control...]

[Don't worry, I was careful.]

[You're never careful!]

[Anyway] Misha continued to sign, ignoring Shizune's clear irritation [I finally got it! Watch] Misha then grabbed a knife she had left on the bedside table, and held it dramatically.

[What the hell are you-] Shizune began but Misha then slammed the blade into her gut. Shizune's mouth dropped open, but Misha then pulled the knife out, to reveal she didn't have a scratch on her. Instead, the blade was now bent backwards.

[Ta-da!] Misha signed, grinning like a fool [I'm invincible! What do you think?]

Shizune paused for a long time [Please tell me that wasn't how you tested it to begin with.]

[Of course not! I'm not stupid. No, I just made a small cut, or tried to. It didn't take. So I tried harder and harder, and nothing happened. So then I jumped off our balcony and came out none the worse for wear! Made a big dent in the pavement though.]

Shizune wanted to groan [Misha, I love you, but that was a terrible idea! What if the invincibility only worked for lesser injuries? Or if it didn't work on blunt force? You could've been killed! I'm not about to lose you again-]

Misha winced [Ok, maybe that was a bit stupid. But it came out for the better! Now you can fly me around and not have to worry if you drop me! Lets go flying!]

Shizune did a facepalm but resigned herself to Misha's impulsiveness [Very well] she signed. The two of them went down to the dark street.

[Ok. I think I know how we can communicate while flying. From what I've heard, it's called 'armpitting you.'.] Shizune signed

[Armpit me? What do you-] Misha didn't finish her thought as Shizune slid her long arms under Misha's armpits.

[Geeze Misha, you're heavy.] Shizune signed in front of Misha's face. She then concentrated on her feet, and her soles ignited. Soon the two of them were blasting off across the cityscape.

"You're breaking up with me?" Emi shouted into the phone "Couldn't you have done this in person at the very least? What? Not intimate enough for you? Well goodbye to you, buster!" She reached out to slam the phone on the hook, then remembered the call had come on her mobile. Not wanting to damage the device, she groaned and put it in her pocket. Then she let out a scream of frustration.

"Boyfriend trouble?" Maxwell asked.

Emi sighed and nodded "Yeah. Fifth guy to break up with me in four years. All for the same reason."

"What might that be?"

Emi shrugged "That I have 'intimacy issues' and don't 'want to let people close to me'. Even if that's true, I'm dating you because I like you, not to be psychoanalyzed. So get off my case, jerkface!"

Maxwell thought for a moment. "Is there any truth to that?"

"Little bit," Emi admitted "But only a little."

"Well, far be it from me to tell you how to run a relationship, but in my experience being with someone means being with someone completely. To laugh with their joys, sympathies with their sorrows, share in their tears..."

"First of all, that's cheesy. Really cheesy. Second, I don't want a lecture. And third, I disagree. Some things, you keep to yourself." She looked around the room "I need to get to class, it starts in an hour. What are your plans?"

"Thought I might take a look around town, see if anything sparks my memory. That sound good?"

"Yeah sure. If you need me, I got a schedule of classes over on the fridge there. If I'm not in class, I'm almost certainly at the track."

"You're on the track?"

"Yep. One of the best at it too. Emi Ibarazaki, fastest thing on no legs. That's me."

Max nodded and smiled "Actually, I think I'll come watch."

Hanako arrived early, over an hour before her first class, and began to work on the computer. The latest app the club was developing was the digital equivalent of a board game a different club had produced called "Invincible Alignment." Programming it was _hard. _The mechanics alone were tough to code, but the AI was worse. It was always difficult to program artificial intelligence, especially for games of strategy. Fortunately, this time they had help. About a year ago, Yuuki Suzuki had arrived to the campus, and he was a beast at programming. Light years ahead of the rest of the group in fact. Oddly, nobody seemed to know much about him, as he rarely discussed his past or family. Occasionally he would hint a great tragedy in his background and one time he referred to him as "The Fitz" but nobody was sure where that nickname had come from. Even more odd, his voice was tinged with a strange accent that did not fit any region the club could guess. But he was a nice guy, and coded better than anybody else, so the rest of the club left him to his mystery. Except Hanako. Hanako was extremely curious, as Yuuki was sort of the opposite side of her coin. He too was unusual and reluctant to discuss his past, but on the other hand, he was quite extroverted and reluctant to read books.

"Project going well?" A voice spoke, disrupting Hanako's thoughts.

"I was just thinking about you," Hanako said to Yuuki "And its going ok. Having a bit of trouble with the armor rules. How about your part?"

"Almost finished."

"Seriously? You programmed an entire AI in just one and a half months?"

"Yeah, You could say I have a knack."

"I'll say, we've tripled the number of programs created thanks to your abilities."

Yuuki chuckled. Hanako looked him over, his roguish good looks and bright green hair were quite attractive.

"Well," he said "I have had practice."

"Where did you practice?"

"Oh, here and there."

"You know, I'd really like to know more about you." Hanako stated flat out. "You never seem to let anyone get to know you, and I'm curious. I mean, where'd you learn to program to such a degree? Why did you say you 'can't see your family anymore?' Why do you call yourself "The fitz?"Why do you always wear that emerald necklace around you? For someone so outgoing, you're really enigmatic. And I know enigmatic."

Yuuki laughed, "It's part of my charm, isn't it?"

"Well, I guess. But some things you've mentioned have indicated you're hiding from someone. You refused any sort of credit in the seven apps we've created, despite doing more work than any other three people put together, you never let anyone have your email address, you don't even have a phone even though that's what our programs are developed on. I'm not even sure if Yuuki is really your name. At first I thought it was, but the way you sometimes delay your reaction when your name is called, its almost like it's an alias. So yes, I do think you're in hiding, but from what?."

Yuuki pulled out the necklace with the bright green gemstone that he always kept tucked into his shirt and stared at it."Well, I did finally break down and buy a phone" he said frankly. "The rest is a mystery. Anyway, would you like to go out to eat tonight?" he asked

Hanako did a double take, "Are you asking me out?" she said, surprised. She brushed the hair that covered her facial scars self-consciously

"Yes, actually I am. I've actually been trying to work up the courage to ask you for a few weeks now. I mean, you're intelligent. And funny. And very attractive."

Hanako blushed, "You think I'm attractive?"

"Well, of course."

Hanako stared at the scars on her hand, "But...my..." she stammered out.

"Trust me, when I look at you, the scars are the last thing I see. I see a beautiful girl with great body and powerful intellect. And I find it impressive you still ask me about myself despite my dodging the question every time. So what do you think?"

Hanako looked at Yuuki for a long time. He was quite attractive, and its not like she got a lot of date offers. "Allright," she said "But I want you to tell me about yourself. Its hard to make conversion with someone if they never let you know anything about themselves."

Yuuki considered this for a long moment, twirling the pendant in his hand. "Very well" he finally said "I will tell you...I'll tell you everything. I suppose I've kept it in for long enough. But swear to me you will keep it a secret."

"I swear."

Yuuki nodded. "I'll meet you at the East cafe at seven tonight."

As Max watched the track team from his seat on the bleachers, he couldn't keep his eyes off Emi. She was beautiful, with her cute pigtails, her perky attitude, her sheer determination. Quite possibly the most attractive person he had ever met. And she was fast. So fast he half wondered he she had a minor superspeed abilities. Probably not, but she was at the very peak of speed for a norm. After the final race, he got up and walked down to meet her.

"That was impressive." He stated as he walked up to her

"Oh hey Max," Emi commented "Glad you liked it."

"I loved it. I was wondering, would you like to grab a movie? I'd love to get to know you better."

"Heh, well, I got my next class in a few minutes. Maybe after?"

"Sure thing."

"Any luck navigating?" Hisao asked Lilly as they traversed the crowded hallways.

"Its easier than normal," Lilly replied "The images you are projecting aren't doing much on their own, but being able to sense the molecular structure of everything around me is a great aid, and together I think I can make a decent guess as to whats around me."

"Great! I'm glad its working so well."

"Well, its easier than normal, but its far from perfect. Its a lot to take in. I mean, with all the people around us, I'm analyzing every part of their body, every piece of clothing they wear, every book in their backpack...It's a bit overwhelming."

"Well, you seem to be doing excellently in spite of that. So when you talk to the molecules can you... I don't know, persuade them, I guess?"

"You mean get them to do things?

"Yeah."

"Not sure. I haven't really tried." The two ducked into a side passage that was mostly barren. Lilly walked up to a potted plant and began to focus on it.

"Move," she whispered to the plant "Move. Move." she shook her head "It doesn't seem to be working. Maybe I'm limited to getting information."

"Hmm," Hisao said "Maybe if we-"

"Talking to plants are we?" a familiar voice piped up. "You shouldn't do that. It's the first sign of insanity you know. You talk to plants, then you start seeing portals everywhere, then you start eating weird stuff. Like sauerkraut. Nobody in their right mind would eat sauerkraut. Plus its a really bad idea in any case. One of out every ten plants have microphone recorders in them."

"Kenji." Hisao groaned.

"Yeah, good to see you guys again." Kenji continued "Sorry I had to rush out of the room when I last met you. I had to iron my pillowcases."

"Iron your pillowcases?" Lilly asked, her polite voice sounding slightly strained.

"Yeah, of course. You have to have ironed pillowcases. Otherwise the feminists can walk into your dreams and steal your thoughts. Ironed pillowcases form a barrier around your brain to prevent that."

"I thought you said you should never sleep?" Hisao asked.

"Of course you shouldn't sleep. But dreaming is okay. Dreaming is very important. I dream for at least two hours every night, sometimes more."

"But how do you dream if you don't sleep?"

"Trade secret. Anyway, I was wondering what superpowers you've gained."

"What makes you think we have superpowers?"

"You broke a Godstone. Obviously. Anyone without powers who is near a broken Godstone gains powers. People who already have powers are unaffected, otherwise it would be redundant. Like a screen door on a screen door. So, can you teleport?"

"No."

"Summon animals?"

"No."

"Read minds?"

"Ye-No."

"Ah ha! You're a telepath! Read my mind!"

Hisao groaned, and against his better judgment reached out and touched Kenji's mind. He immediately recoiled as a cacophony of very loud thoughts assaulted him. How did Kenji think with that racket in his head?

"See? I'm brilliant, aren't I?" Kenji said triumphantly and turned to Lilly. "How about you?"

"I can read objects molecular structures." she said plainly

"Psychometrey huh? You know, three fourths of people who gain that later develop molecular manipulation powers. You could really powerful if you practiced it. Wait a minute." Kenji scrunched up his brow "You look familiar, whats your name?

"Lilly Satou."

A look of utter horror spread across Kenji's face. "GAH!" he nearly screamed "I KNOW you. You were in my class in Yamaku! You're the one in the Mafia! And now you have molecular warping powers?" he spun around and faced Hisao "You! Go call the Avengers! Or the X-men! Or the Fantastic Four! Or the Defenders! Or-"

"Kenji," Hisao said angrily "She's not in the Mafia!"

"Yes she is! I still remember that day she was walking down the street and that man in the pinstripe suit came out and talked with her! Third scariest moment of my like! After that bird pooping on my head and learning my girlfriend was stealing my life energy!"

"You have got to be-" Lilly began but Hisao interrupted.

"Kenji, you have this all wrong." he said calmly

Kenji stopped talking and stared at him. Hisao had originally planned to tell Kenji exactly how screwed up his mind was, but now he had a better idea.

"Kenji," Hisao started "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Promise? Its very important."

Kenji pushed his glasses up his nose "I promise."

"Lilly may appear to be in the Mafia, but she's not. She's actually going undercover at the behest of the police to take the mob down."

Kenji visibly relaxed "Oh. OH. That actually makes sense. You're a smart man, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess. By the way, I wanted to thank you for the computer. It was a very nice gift."

"Oh, no problem bud. I have ten others at home." Seeing Hisao's look of shock, Kenji let out a laugh.

"Let me guess, you want to know how I afford all this equipment?"

"It did cross my mind" Hisao admitted

"I cracked the lottery."

"What."

"Yeah, took me a few years, but I came up with computer algorithms that allow me to win prizes in the lotteries whenever I want. Unique number lotteries, selected number lotteries, I can even locate the best scratchcards. It provides a great source of income for the upcoming war."

"If you win the lottery so often, why haven't you been in the paper?"

"Do I look like a nutjob? I don't win the top prizes, I only go for the smaller ones. I need to avoid any kind of publicity but still make a good income, so I typically win a few hundred thousand yen at a pop. I can make enough to share though." Kenji then pulled out his wallet and pulled out a couple ten-thousand yen notes and handed them to Hisao. He then took a couple more out and gave them to Lilly.

"Thank you Kenji" Lilly said

"Yes. Thank you." Hisao said, a bit dumbstruck.

"No problem. Always good to help out a fellow ally against the feminist conspiracy. By the way, do you know what powers the other five got?"

"My other friends? No idea."

"Ah well. We could form a team later. Strike at the very heart of the feminists. Now I've got to get some books from the library, I'll see you two later. Good luck with your infiltration Lilly, glad to hear you're on our side." Kenji turned and scampered off.

After a long silence Lilly turned to Hisao "That was a brilliant move on your part. I take it you understand how he thinks?"

"Not at all, I doubt even Kenji knows how Kenji thinks. But I figured explaining things in his own terms would have a better chance of working than blowing up in his face. I looked in his head and nearly went nuts myself. It was like listening to ten rock concerts simultaneously, only all the concerts deal with conspiracies."

"Do you really think he wins the lottery at will?"

"A week ago I would say he was just being even more nuts than usual. But I'm beginning to think he might actually be the super-hacker he's claiming to be. I mean, he figured out we would develop powers long before anyone else. If he really did hack the Fantastic Four's files...I heard in a magazine Reed Richards has encryption fifty years ahead of the rest of the world, compared to that, developing a win the lottery program sounds comparable."

"Maybe he was just making stuff up."

"I don't know. While we were at the mall, Sunfire told me Kenji knew secrets few other people did. That bit about Spider-man was known to almost nobody, in particular. I think he may be nuts, but also a hacker on par with Tony Stark."

"And he had a girlfriend? That stretches credibility."

Hisao chuckled, "Actually, yes he did. Yuuko, if you can believe it."

"The librarian back at Yamaku?"

"Yeah. Shame about what happened to her... Anyway, He mentioned having a girl at one point, and over that summer I did some digging. Took a while, but I found a picture on a previous student's facebook where the two of them were making out. I think if Kenji ever saw that, he'd freak. More than usual. You know, if he wasn't so wrapped up in this "feminist conspiracy" I think he'd be a really nice guy." Hisao looked at his watch "We'd better hurry, our next class starts in five." He grasped Lilly's arm, and quickly began leading her to their next class.

"So, I was trying to form a picture of a cat," Rin's friend Riko was explaining "But I couldn't get it right. I tried paint, sketches, graphite, inks, and other forms, but the cat just wouldn't get on the paper. You ever have that problem?'

Rin nodded "Yes."

"Really? The way you only paint abstraction, I would have thought you just go with the flow."

"No. I see things. I cannot get them painted correctly."

"Wait, you see the things you paint?"

"Yes."

"Geeze. That's impressive. I can't even understand much of what you create. I really wish I had your talent. Even with my own gifts, I can only be a fraction as good as you."

Rin shrugged, "You have a lot of talent yourself"

Riko smiled, "True, but not as much as you. You want to grab scones? I'll race you to the coffee shop."

"No need to race. I can take us." There was a sharp "pop" and Rin and Riko disappeared and reappeared outside of the local Starbucks. Riko did a double take.

"How did you do that?" She asked, shocked.

"I can teleport." Rin said "It's nothing special."

"Nothing special? You've got honest to god superpowers, Rin! I'm so freaking envious! All my genes got me was art talent, but you can teleport too? AND be ten times the artist I am?"

Rin shrugged again.

"So, are you a mutant?" Riko asked

"No." Rin said "I broke a stone a couple days ago."

Riko seemed slightly disappointed, but nodded, "Ok then. Here, I'll treat you. Celebrate your gifts. Have you considering being a superhero?"

Rin shrugged yet again "I can't be a superhero. My brain isn't spelled right."

"What do you mean?"

"Articulating my thoughts is very hard. Appearing normal is impossible."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. What with your odd patterns of speech and body language and stuff. But you could probably be a superhero anyway. They got all sorts of weird ones now."

Rin shook her head "No." She said flatly.

Riko thought about pressing the point, but decided against it.

As Hanako entered the East Cafe, she noticed Yuuki sitting in a corner booth. He waved her over and she happily obliged.

"Good to see you," Hanako said "I thought you'd change your mind."

Yuuki shook his head "I've hidden myself for long enough, I need someone to confide in. It's been.." he thought for a moment "about four years since anyone knew who I am."

"How many of my guesses were right?"

"Almost all of them. I am hiding from someone, and Yuuki is not my real name. Not in witness protection though, but close. Before I continue, let me ask a question. What would you do if you met yourself from the future and you turned out to be one of the worst supervillains to have ever existed?"

Hanako was taken aback by the question. "Is this hypothetical?"

"Unfortunately not. What would your actions be?"

"I really don't know."

Yuuki nodded, "Neither did I. My name isn't Yuuki. Its actually Trevor. Trevor Fitzroy. What you need to know is that first, I'm from the future, second, I'm from a parallel universe, and third, I'm on the run from an older version of myself who is soulless. Both literally and figuratively."

Hanako gave him an odd look. "Seriously?" She asked

"Serious as a heart attack." Fitzroy noticed Hanako flinch at the statement, but continued."I've been running for four years and lived on over a dozen worlds." He pulled the green gemstone he wore from beneath his shirt. "I had this created to tell me when my other self is in the same universe I am. If he arrives, I have to leave."

"How would you leave a universe?"

"My mutant power is to drain lifeforce and use it to open trans-temporal portals. I only use it on animals for the most part. And no, I can't use it on my other self, as he's clad in armor similar to Iron Man's." He shook his head sadly.

"Whats the future like?"

"Well, mine was a blasted hellhole. Most of the world had been nuked out of existence and the rest was under the rule of giant robots for the better part of a century. But not every planet winds up like that, some actually wind up being really nice. I like this one in particular. Nice people, great food, very few giant robots..."

Hanako stared at him for a long time. This wasn't what she had expected at all out of her friend. But as ridiculous as the story was, it actually explained a lot.

"So you've been hiding too..." She said softly.

Trevor nodded. "It's a heck of a life. Don't tell anyone okay?"

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me"

The food arrived and the two began to eat.

"Thanks for this" Hanako said "I haven't been on a date in...ever, really."

"I'm sad to hear that. You're such a wonderful person..."

"Yeah well, most people can't get past my appearance.." Hanako sighed "On any of the worlds you visited, were there ways to treat my scars?"

Trevor shook his head. "I'm not sure. Healing burns at the level you have is a rather tall order. A cosmic cube could do it. Or an infinity gauntlet. Or an omega level healer. Or certain supervillains, like Doctor Doom or Apocalypse. But I can't think of someone off the top of my head. Sorry."

"No, it's alright. I just... I just want to be pretty."

"You are pretty Hanako. You are one of the most beautiful people I know. You kindness matters more than anything else."

"I know, but its hard to believe when people freak out at the sight of me."

Trevor nodded "I'm not going to lie and say that your burns won't put people off, but I want you to know that there are people who will love you. Scars and all."

As Misha pulled her car up to the office of X-Corp Tokyo, she grinned at Shizune.

[So, superheroes huh?] Misha signed

[Yes. I believe training with a team would be beneficial. Many heroes share my drive and ambition, which is sorely lacking at school. Hopefully working with like-minded people will make my social life easier.]

[Going to drop your plans for founding a charity?]

[Of course not. I have plenty of time to attend school, do homework, and spend my nights and weekends throwing energy blasts at aliens from outer space. Anyway...] Shizune got out of the car and marched inside. Misha followed close behind.

The office was fairly spacious. At the counter there was a teenage girl filing paperwork. At the two girls entrance, she immediately looked up.

"Welcome to X-corp Toyko," She stated "My name is Armor, how may I be of assistance?" As Misha signed to Shizune, Armor's eyebrows arched.

"Hi there!" Misha spoke up "This is Shizune, or Shicchan, as I call her. My name's Misha. We're here to see you have part-time positions available."

"Ah," Armor said "And you are making hand gesture's because...?"

"Shicchan is deaf and mute. I'm her interpreter. And her girlfriend!"

"Understood. This is rather unusual, I'm going to have to get my boss. Can you hold on?"

Shizune nodded and Armor went up some nearby stairs. After a few minutes, she returned with a

short, clearly foreign, man with a distinctive hairstyle dressed in an X-men uniform with yellow highlights and a cowboy hat.

Misha gave a puzzled look at Shizune, who didn't seem phased in the least.

[Who is this?] Misha signed

[Misha, have you looked at a TV lately? Out of all the X-men he gets the most press coverage by far.]

[But he's clearly American, why is he running X-corp Toyko?]

[Canadian, mind you. Name's Wolverine.] The man glared at Misha, clearly annoyed at the gaffe. [And yes, I know sign language, so don't think I don't know what you're saying. Armor says you're looking for positions.]

"That we are." Misha responded, "Shiccan's got flight and energy blasts. I'm invulnerable."

Wolverine chuckled [Do you really think superpowers are the only qualification for this kind of lifestyle? Being an X-man takes determination most people don't have. I've had good friends die in ways that would make your hair curl. Wild Child, burned alive in a vat of molten steel. Copycat, her insides torn out and left to bleed to death, Changling, dismembered by a HYDRA experiment. Maggot, eaten by his own digestive system. I have personally been burned, frozen, disemboweled, crucified, devoured, disintegrated, and had my skeleton ripped out of my body. Do you really think you can handle this lifestyle? I doubt it. ]

[I figured you'd try to dissuade us, so I spent most of last night doing research, and you know I found? For most of the X-men's existence, they recruited almost any mutant they could find, including ones that really weren't a good idea.] Shizune begin, [Let's take the Mimic for example, who was a bipolar egomaniac who nearly got the team killed. Or how about Legion, who had four personalities for most of his life and then proceeded to nearly destroy the planet when they were healed? Or that terrorist Marrow, whose first meeting of the X-men was when she tried to blow up a train filled with civilians. And then there was Cypher, who had no combat powers whatsoever, yet you recruited him anyway, with predictable results. Contrast those cases with the two us. We have no mental issues, a clean history, and most of all, we want to help. Death doesn't scare us. Failure does.]

Wolverine smirked at her, and Shizune continued,

[I've looked over the news reports of your team.] Shizune responded firmly, [This branch of X-corp has four members. There's you, there's that teenage girl who supposedly was cloned from your DNA, the telepath with the psionic blades, and Armor over there. Very limited power sets, especially since you and X-23 have the exact same powers. You don't anyone who can fly. That is a major liability in this day and age. I can fly, and while I may have no experience, I seriously think I could help this team with the proper training. While Misha may not have the most unique power set, she's stubborn as all get out and has the potential to kick some major ass.]

Wolverine chuckled, [You have confidence, I'll give you that much.] He leaned back against a desk, [Impress me.]

[Fine.] Shizune nodded, and let out a the largest blast of energy she could generate. It enveloped the southern end of the room, reducing the desk and most of the other furniture to rubble. A badly burned Wolverine hit the wall from the momentum of the blast.

Misha looked down at the scorched figure in front of her friend. [Shicchan, what did you do? You could have killed him!]

[He's got a healing factor, Misha.] Shizune explained, [You really need to do some research, for goodness sake...]

As Wolverine got back to his feet, his burns healing before their eyes, he glared at Shizune [That was my favorite hat. Ten points for gumption, minus a hundred for collateral damage. However...] He shook his head. "Armor, take Shizune and give her the usual array of tests. Mental, physical, psychological... And dig through our armory and find those dictation glasses Forge made for Echo."

"Dictation glasses?" Armor asked, clearly not phased in the least from the explosion.

"Yes, the ones that print nearby language spoken on the lenses. Much as I hate to say it, she's got potential."

[Misha too.] Shizune stated as her friend translated.

[Shizune, your friend is an airhead. From what I've seen, she's as likely to be a hindrance than a help in a fight.] Wolverine signed.

[I'm sorry, but we work as a team. Either take both of us or neither of us.]

Wolverine pondered this for a moment.

[Fine. But I'm holding you responsible if she screws up.]

As Emi and Max left the theater, the night air was crisp and cool.

"That was fun." Emi remarked.

"Yes" Max said "I haven't been on a date like this at all as far as I can remember." The gloves of his armor retracted and he gently touched Emi's face "It's so nice to be able to touch people." he said softly.

"Do you remember why you couldn't?"

"I think anyone I touched would die. Not sure on the details, but after I came back it stopped happening. My memory is slowly coming back however, so I think I will remember soon enough. Maybe it's just my living in the moment, but I feel a real kinship with you. It's like we are very similar deep down."

Emi looked at Max, and planted a kiss on his cheek "Well, you're a cutie. And I love your hair. If you want to go on more dates, I'd be more than willing."

Max laughed "Live fast and love hard huh? You certainly strike me as the type."

The two hooked hands and strode back to Emi's apartment.


	6. School shooting

Chapter 6: A shooting at the university

In the dead of night, Max woke up to the sound of crying in the next room. Getting up, he walked over to Emi's bedroom and peered into her door. Emi was sobbing into her pillow.

"Emi, whats wrong?" Max asked

Emi looked up and shook her head "Just a nightmare. I'll be fine." she stated, her voice sounding strained

"You sure?" Max sounded concerned "If you want to talk about it, I'm more than willing to listen."

Emi shook her head again "Really, I'm okay. Go back to bed Max. Please."

"I don't know, you sounded really upset. Are you sure...?"

"Yes Max" Emi said determinedly "I'll be fine. Go back to sleep."

Max hesitated then added "Well, alright. But if you need anything at all, let me know. I'll be willing to help." Max started at Emi for a long time, then walked back to the couch. He spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.

Hisao groaned and hit the button on his alarm. It was a Tuesday, so he had to get down to exercise with Emi. While he had stalled on the running practice for a while, after his second heart attack it finally sunk in that he really should try to strengthen himself, after all, he wanted to live another sixty or seventy years with Lilly if he could possibly do so. Getting up from his bed, he blew a kiss to Lilly's sleeping form, then threw on his gym clothes, took his pills, and headed down to the track.

When he arrived, he was surprised to find Emi with a guy. The fact she was with a guy wasn't unusual, but this man was clearly foreign, had red armor clad over most of his body, and a very unusual hair style.

"Hello, I'm Hisao." he introduced himself to the new arrival

"Max Lehnsherr," the man said, "Good to meet you."

"Yeah!" Emi piped up, "Good to see you again Hisao! Shall we get started?"

Hisao nodded and the two sprinted down the track. Max followed shortly behind. At first, Max and Hisao were about the same speed, with Emi way ahead of them, but after a couple miles, Hisao reached his limit and slowed down. Max continued for a bit longer, but did the same, stopping near Hisao.

"So," Hisao said "You a friend of Emi's?"

"You could say that" Max replied, "She kind of brought me back from somewhere."

"Brought you back? What do you mean?"

"Not sure exactly, but I was lost for a while there. I don't remember"

"I don't understand."

"Most of my mind is a blank, I can't really remember where I was. I think I may have amnesia. I know Emi stood out like a beacon however, so I'm grateful for her. Do you know if she gets night terrors?"

"Not that I am aware of, why?"

"She just was crying last night. Maybe its nothing to worry about, but I'm concerned anyway."

Hisao shrugged, "Emi never really let me close to her. We're friends, nothing more."

Max gave that some though and nodded "Alright then. Want to get showered up?"

"Ok where was that guest lecture located?" Hisao muttered as he racked his brain trying to remember. "I thought it was in the physics building, but nobody was there..."

Then all of a sudden, the alarm started blaring.

"Now what?" Hisao said exasperatedly. Then he heard gunshots.

"Oh, god DAMIT" He swore and began running as fast as he could away from the sound of the bullets.

"I'll ask again!" he heard a voice behind him "Where is Riko Kudo?". Shots rang out again and Hisao heard a scream. Hisao then ducked into a side passage and tried desperately to calm his heart. He was glad he was keeping up the exercise regiment with Emi, had this happened at Yamaku he would not be in nearly good enough shape.

"You!" A voice said and Hisao saw the gunman. He was big, at least six feet tall, and had bright blonde hair. His face was covered in scars, nothing like Hanako's though, it appeared that the man had experiences some horrible cuts on his face in the past and they had healed in a nasty way. Most notable of all is that his hands were his guns. His right arm was formed into a shotgun and the left terminated into some sort of plasma cannon.

The gunman stared directly at him

"_You don't see me, you don't see me._" Hisao thought at the figure as hard as he could. The man laughed

"Trying to get in my head, kid? You a mutant too?"

"No." Hisao stammered out

"Yeah, didn't think so, you didn't light up on my radar. Now tell me, where is Riko Kudo?"

"I have no earthly idea who that is." Hisao lied. Rin had mentioned her friend in the past, but there was no way he was helping this monster with anything.

"You're useless then." The man said, and there was a loud sound as a bullet rocketed out of the right arm and struck Hisao in the side. Immediately, Hisao's heart started going out of rhythm. Collapsing to the ground, Hisao screamed at the pain, and clutched at his chest.

"Notgoingtodiehere," he thought "Not going to die here. Please god, don't let it end like this." his fingers went numb, along with his toes. A ringing sounded in his ear. He was vaguely aware of the gunman leaving the room.

"Lilly, I'm so sorry." Hisao thought. Pain consumed his body. Having survived two heart attacks, he was pretty sure this was number three. Then something odd happened. The pain died down, his fingers and toes regained feeling, his heart started beating again. He looked down at the gash where the bullet had entered his body. The wound seemed to be fading before his eyes.

"Impossible." he mumbled. Then added "But I'm not complaining." He got up off the floor. Nobody was around.

"Why is he looking for me?" Riko cried "What did I do?"

"I don't know." Rin replied "I can take you out of here."

"No, if you do that he'll just keep shooting people until the cops get here. I can't let that happen." Riko looked around at the closet they were hiding in.

"Other option then." Rin replied.

"What other option?"

"Fight." Rin said simple, and kicked open the door.

"Wait, you're going to fight that guy?"

"Yes."

"Rin, that's suicide!"

"I'll be fine."

"Damnit Rin, you're the best damn artist in the country, I'm not going to let you throw your life away!"

Rin just strode out and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Where is Riko?" A voice shouted

Rin spun to face the gunman and give him a long look.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked plaintively

The gunman laughed "She's a mutant artist. And that is the kind of people I kill. Names Bushwacker. Now, where is Riko Kudo?"

Rin didn't answer, and the gunman fired a bullet at her. It lodged in her shoulder and she winced in pain.

"Missed." Bushwacker snorted and took aim with his left arm. He never got a chance to use it. A popping sound occurred and his left arm was suddenly displaced from the rest of his body, landing in a trashcan several feet away. There was then another popping sound and his right arm was teleported onto a bookshelf on the other side of the hallway. He let out screams of agony and then flailed around on the floor, the stumps where his arms used to be forming a large pool of blood. Rin watched with her passive gaze as the man bleed out on the floor. A few minutes later, it was over. Carl Burbank, former priest, ex CIA agent, self-hating mutant, was dead, never to take another life.

"Geeze Rin," Riko said as she stepped out of the closet. "You killed him"

Rin shrugged, "He was going to kill you." she replied

"Well, yeah... But.." Riko shook her head "Thanks. Glad he missed when he fired at you."

"He didn't miss."

"You got shot? Oh my god."

"I'm now better." Rin motioned to her shoulder. The wound had completely healed.

Riko looked at Rin oddly, "You have a healing factor too?"

Rin shrugged, "So, he said you're a mutant."

Riko looked at her feet "Yeah" she admitted "Its the only reason my art is a good as it is. Before my gene manifested I couldn't draw at all. Or paint. Or anything really. I hope you don't hate me for it."

"Why would I hate you?"

"Lots of people hate mutants. Its not that bad in this country, but when I visited America that one time..."

"It doesn't matter," Rin replied, "You're a friend."

She nodded and turned around, then looked down sadly at the dismembered figure at her feet. "For what it's worth. I'm sorry it had to happen this way. I really am." she stated to the dead man. A tear ran down her face as a series of police officers barged into the room.

"Allright, put your hand up-oh my god..." One of them said, and the group stopped dead in their tracks

"That's that Bushwacker follow, right?"

"Most of him...God. What happened?"

"He was going to kill my friend," Rin said "So I disarmed him."

"You tore off his arms?" The first officer asked

"Teleported. I have teleport powers."

"Beware the quiet ones.." The third officer muttered "You're Rin Tezuka, right?"

"You know me." It was a rhetorical statement, but the officer replied anyway

"Yeah, I love your work. Uh, we'll need to take your statement. I don't forsee any problems. You too." He motioned to Riko, who nodded weakly.

Lilly, Hisao, Hanako, Emi, Shizune, Misha and Max were gathered outside the school. The remainder of classes were canceled, but they had pulled together for comfort.

"So, Rin took him out?" Lilly asked Hisao.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, " Hisao replied, "She really is the type to keep calm in a crisis."

"Teleport powers?" Emi asked "Really?"

"I guess," Hanako said, shaking slightly. Despite being on the opposite side of the campus when it happened, she was taking the event harder than the others.

"Lilly and I developed powers too," Hisao added, "She can talk to molecules and I read minds."

"Really?" Emi asked "What am I thinking now?"

Hisao looked in her mind and replied, "You're thinking about how hungry you are."

Emi blushed slightly and said, "Lucky guess. Well, maybe not. I haven't gotten any powers. I think."

"Maybe it's subtle," Misha replied, "It took me ten hours to learn I was indestructible."

Shizune made some signs and Misha added, "And its not always pleasant. Shicchan felt like she was going to explode when she hers developed."

"What did she get?" Emi asked

"Flight and energy blasts. The two of us went to X-corp last night and signed up for trainin,." Shizune made more signs and Misha added "The rest of you should too."

"Did you develop anything?" Emi asked Hanako, who looked down and nodded

"I can make force fields."

"Maybe we could all train together," Misha suggested.

"I don't want to exert myself," Hisao shook his head ,"I got lucky this time, but its not something I want to repeat."

"Got lucky this time?" Lilly, repeated with a worried tone in her voice.

"The guy shot me. Right near my chest. By some miracle I didn't die, but it feel like hell."

"Oh my god Hisao!" Lilly cried and hugged her boyfriend "I am so sorry!

"I'm alright Lilly. Not a scratch on me"

"You should still see a doctor. I don't want..."

"Its alright. It's alright." Hisao comforted his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get there in time," Max added ,"I was flying around the city, trying to spark some memories. By the time I got there, it was all over."

"Spark memories?" Misha asked.

"I don't remember much of my past. I remember being in a big explosion and winding up in a grey city where nobody seemed to perceive me until I found Emi. I think someone called me Magnus at one point. I remember I couldn't touch people for a very long time. I don't remember much else."

Shizune made some signs and Misha translated, "Didn't Mariko mention a Magnus while we were shopping during her visit?"

Hanako nodded, "Yes, she said that she head of someone by that name who died on the Exiles's first mission. Is this the same man?"

Max shrugged, "Could be. The term Exiles does sound familiar. But if that is the case, how did I come back to life?"

"Maybe Emi can raise the dead?" Hisao suggested. Emi flinched slightly.

"But Mariko said Magnus died in a nuclear explosion. Wouldn't there be no body left?" Hanako asked

Magnus was concentrating very hard, "You know, when I was stuck in that city, I seemed to find Emi as a beacon. I could sense her presence for very far away. If I had died, maybe I got "stuck" in between worlds and Emi...I don't know, maybe she can call lost souls into existence."

Emi rolled her eyes, "Or maybe I don't have powers and Max is completely different guy than the Exile's Magnus. Whatever."

"Can I talk to this Mariko lady?"

Hanako shook her head, "I'm afraid she left this dimension after the shopping trip. And I really don't have a way to contact her. Sorry."

There was a popping sound and Rin appeared in front of the group.

"Hi there," she said, "Is everyone okay?"

"No we're not," Lilly said, "Hisao got shot."

"Lilly, I'm fine. There's not a mark on me." Hisao replied.

"You too?" Rin asked.

"Pardon?" Hisao replied.

"I got shot too. And got better. Healed right up." Rin said frankly.

"Really?" Hanako asked.

"Yes."

"But if that's the case..." Hisao began and winced. This was an awkward question. "Why didn't your arms grow back?" he finally got out.

"Well, from what I've read in books, with most healing factors, they don't heal conditions that already exist" Hanako said softly "Only ones that come along after the powers develop. Now exceptions do exist..."

"So what, we have healing factors now?" Misha asked for Shizune.

"There's a way to find out" Max stated. He gestured and a metal shard formed out of a nearby hubcap..

"You can prick your fingers." He handed the piece of metal to Emi, who looked at it for a long time, then touched it with her index finger. The injury immediately stitched itself up, leaving not a mark on her finger. She handed it to Lilly, who sighed but followed suit. Same thing occurred. Each of the others performed the same action, and each time the cut healed, except for Misha, who couldn't get it to pierce her skin.

"So, we've got healing abilities," Hisao smiled and burst into laughter, "Halle-freakin-lujah!" He cried, "I was so worried I was going to kneel over from my condition someday, but I guess that's not as much of an issue."

"You could still die," Hanako pointed out "Healing can help, but they can be overloaded."

"I said, "as much of an issue". I have no delusions of immortality. I know I could still die, I just am glad I have a "buffer" of sorts between getting hurt and having a heart attack."

"Will we age?" Emi asked, sounding a bit scared

"Most likely not," Hanako replied. "Most healing factors reduce the aging systems to a crawl."

Emi looked worried.

"Emi, whats wrong?" Max asked

"I just don't want to live forever" Emi said softly. "I don't want to watch the world grow old and die while I remain young. Its just a very depressing thought."

"Don't worry too much." Misha replied, "It might not work that way, and even if it does, so what? You'll still have all of us!" She grinned widely.

Emi shrugged "I guess." She didn't sound convinced.

Deep within the bowels of a celestial starship, two figures watched the figures on a screen

"She is perfect." A large, imposing figure said. His grey face twisted into a sinister grin.

"Which one? The one with no arms, or the blind one?" Ozymandias inquired. The tall, grey-skinned man twisted a dial and the picture on the screen zoomed inward.

"Neither. I mean the scarred one."

"The scarred one? My lord, the others..."

"The others are strong yes, but this...Ikezawa girl... she has the most incredible inner will."

"But the readouts on the others, particularly this Satou girl. The emissions on her are unlike anything I've seen. If we take her..."

"Satou lacks the mental fortitude necessary. So does Tezuka. Ikezawa, however, has taken everything the world threw at her and remained standing. She shall make the perfect Famine. Send out the other horseman to collect her."

"Yes, lord Apocalypse."


	7. Desire

"Is it working?" Hisao asked.

Lilly shook her head. "I'm sorry, no. I'm still not getting it."

"It'll come." Hisao replied, his voice holding a note of disappointment. When he had first tried letting Lilly see through his eyes a little over a week ago, the initial attempts had been promising. Combined with her molecular sense, she had been able to walk through rooms without the use of her cane. Unfortunately, after that they had run into the proverbial brick wall. While navigation was possible, many parts of sight, such as perception of color, appreciation of art and even being able to perceive many static forms, still remained out of her grasp. The worst part was the fact that Hisao wasn't even sure if she could learn. The documentation on people who recovered their sight after being blind since birth was limited at best, and all the case studied dealt with people seeing through their own eyes, not someone elses.

"Don't worry too much," Lilly said, "I don't mind my blindness, why are you so focused on it?"

"Because I get the feeling I could help you if I just knew how. But I don't know how, and it's frustrating," He sighed, "Maybe if you could see through your own eyes, rather than mine it might be working, but as far as I can tell, cures are still in the experimental stage."

"Hisao sweetie, you're thinking too hard about this. I know you want to make everything perfect for me, but I've managed without sight for twenty two years, I can function perfectly well without it for however long I live. And it doesn't matter if I can't understand the images you project,there are always things people cannot understand. I mean, you still have difficulty with your English grades," she chuckled slightly,"Look, we've got all the time in the world. Literally, if Hanako's research on healing factors is accurate."

"I know Lilly, I just tend to feel a bit overwhelmed. Especially lately. In two weeks, we meet superheros from another universe, gain superpowers of our own, our university gets shot up, and then it turns out we heal from almost anything. It's a lot to take in. Occupying myself with this helps me cope. You understand?"

"Perfectly. But I can handle anything with you by my side."

"Thank you Lilly, I believe the exact same thing with you. There is one more option I'm considering."

"And what might that be?"

Hisao thought for a moment and then spoke "It occurred to me that maybe, if I had more skill with my telepathy, I could copy the visual abilities from my brain and put them in yours, taking a sort of shortcut in regards to learning. The problem is, my skill isn't nearly as good as it would need to be to perform that kind of task. So, after school I'm going to see if this X-corp place can give me training."

"Hisao, that sounds dangerous. We still don't know our limits. What if you suffer another heart attack and the healing factor can't keep up?"

"I'm not going to do anything strenuous. I just am going to check if they can train me."

"Are you sure about this? I don't want you to get hurt, especially on my behalf."

Hisao leaned in and kissed Lilly, "I'm sure. I promise, I will make safety my utmost priority."

Later that night, Shizune and Misha had just finished a round in X-corp's danger room. The two were dressed in X-men battle uniforms. Both of them were fairly straightforward, with a black leathersuit with embossed with the X-men's logo and colored highlights. Blue on Shizune's and pink on Misha's, They also wore black gloves and knee length black boots. Shizune was also wearing a pair of dark red sunglasses notably larger than the ones she normally had on.

[Three minutes and twelve seconds] Shizune signed [That's an improvement.]

"Yeah," Misha said and signed at the same time. Her words appeared on the lenses of Shizune's glasses as she spoke. Despite that, she continued signed while talking through force of habit. "Maybe we'll be ready for field work soon. I hope we get cooler costumes too. Maybe something pink. But this is pretty nice too."

[You like them? I think this outfit is ridiculous. I mean, seriously. I look like Trinity.] Shizune

"Trinity who?" Misha asked

[From the Matrix. I mean, it's better than running around in a purple leotard like Psylocke does, but why don't female superheroes ever dress conservatively?]

"I think you look really cool. I mean, you got that 'secret agent' thing going. Kind of sexy actually." Misha grinned.

Shizune blushed and began to respond but was interrupted.

"It takes a lot to impress me, but you've managed to do so." a voice came from behind them. Wolverine walked into the room and looked at the holographic robots lying around on the ground. "You've run through over seventy simulations in less than a week. You have quite the drive."

[Thank you] Shizune signed [I make it a point of pride to commit completely to everything I do. A trait more people should have.]

Wolverine chuckled "You've got spunk, kid. I like that. The two of you were twenty two on your forms, right?"

"Yes, we are." Misha replied "Why?"

"I was thinking the two of you could join the rest of the current team as we go out to a bar."

Misha laughed, "Wahaha! That sound great, actually. We've been working on these simulations for five hours, and could use a little break. Who all is coming?"

"Pretty much everyone on base at the moment. Me, Armor, X-23, and Psylocke,. You coming, Shizune?"

Shizune stared at the words on her glasses, [I was going to get a few more rounds in, but I guess that can wait.] She finally signed.

Armor's voice came across the intercom, "Wolverine, could you come to the front? We have another visitor wanting training."

Wolerine muttered something under his breath about 'recruitment drives being a bad idea' but started off, Misha and Shizune following behind him. As they approached the lobby, Misha and Shizune stopped in their tracks.

"Hicchan? What are you doing here?" Misha asked.

"You know him?" Wolverine asked

[Of course we know him] Shizune responded [It was at his party the seven of us broke the Godstone and gained powers.]

Wolverine blinked "Godstone?" he said, sounding a bit surprised.

[That's what Kenji called it.]

"I haven't heard that term in years-wait, Kenji? You wouldn't happen to mean Kenji Setou, would you?"

"You know him?" Hisao asked.

"Of course I know him. Every superhero knows him. One of the only men in the past twenty years to break Mr Fantastic's encryption. "

"That actually happened?" Hisao wasn't too surprised, but hearing his suspicions confirmed felt a bit nerve racking. Kenji was really the hacker he claimed to be. So the planet's most powerful encryption could be broken by a man convinced every major organization was being infiltrated by "militant feminists." Not a good omen.

"Yeah, and he managed it without superpowers as well. Read over hundreds of classified documents before we traced the signal back to the source. Some of the superhero community wanted to put him in jail, but Richards thought it would be a better idea to hire him. He proved invaluable on a few missions but it eventually went sour, as Kenji started to think everything was a 'feminist plot'. So we got rid of him. Keeping him under surveillance of course. How do you know him?"

"He went to Yamaku with us," Hisao replied "Was my next door neighbor in the dorms in fact. I mean, I knew he was odd, but this is something else. Do you know why he is the way he is?"

"Paranoid something or other. I really didn't care. That nutjob nearly got a half dozen good men killed before we kicked him out. Anyway, a godstone?"

[That's what he termed it] Shizune signed

"There hasn't been a godstone broken in years. You know what it does right?"

"Gives you superpowers, obviously." Misha replied

"Well, yes. And it makes you damn hard to kill. Bear in mind, you can still die, but you'll be able to heal from most wounds. So, seven of you, huh? Who are the others?"

"Classmates of ours," Hisao replied "Hanako, Emi, Lilly and Rin are their names."

"Rin? You mean Rin Tezuka? The artist who was in the papers last week for stopping the shooting?"

"Exact same. There were two others as well. The parallel versions of Sunfire and Spiderwoman. I don't know if they gained powers or not."

"They wouldn't have. Godstones only touch people who aren't already powered. So, you're here for training?"

"Sort of, yes." Hisao fumbled for words. He was clearly intimated by Logan, not in the least because of the X-men's reputation as a killer. "I would like to increase the telepathic powers I acquired. I'd rather not do anything strenuous though. I suffer from arrhythmia and I don't want to suffer another heart attack. The past few were extremely unpleasant and even if I don't actually die from them, I want to avoid such an experience if at all possible. I hope this is acceptable."

Wolverine paused, "I'll chat with Psylocke about that. She's the telepath in our group. It would be her call as whether to give training to you."

"Can Hicchan come to the bar with us?" Misha piped up.

Wolverine rolled his eyes, "Eh, whatever." and motioned dismissively.

Hisao awoke the next day staring at the ceiling of a hotel room. He groaned hard. Once again, he had overestimated his alcohol tolerance. He staggered to his feet and looked at the clock. Ten thirty. It was Sunday, so no classes. Thank god. There was a knock on the door.

"You decent?" A woman said in a thick British accent.

"Uh yeah." Hisao responded.

The door opened and a purple-haired Asian woman in a skintight leotard walked in. She looked at Hisao and smiled

"Betsy Braddock, or Psylocke if you prefer. Pleased to meet you, sorry we didn't get a chance to talk much last night. " She stated.

Hisao gave her a funny look, "Um, what is your nationality, if you don't mind my asking?"

She chuckled at him, "You live with a half-Scottish lady, but get confused by a Asian woman with a British accent?"

Hisao's face flushed, "Ah...Sorry..I just meant..."

She smiled, "It's fine. To answer your question, I got bodyswapped. It involved a clan of ninjas and a lot of mind control. Long story, that"

"Ah." Hisao replied, his face still rather red, "I should probably get home, Lilly will be worried about me."

"Don't worry about that. Voidstar got Hardhead to call your girlfriend and let her know you'd be training today."

"Uh, who?"

"Your friends. Shizune and Misha respectively."

"I see," Hisao shook his head, trying to clear the hangover, "What happened last night? I can't remember a thing."

Betsy laughed again, "You got pretty drunk. Started talking loudly about how happy you were to be alive. Then you tried your luck at the karaoke mic."

Hisao blushed slightly.

"You were actually surprisingly good. Most people sound awful after drinking as much as you did, but you had pipes. I loved your rendition of Green Day's '!Viva la Gloria!'."

"At least I had a good time- wait, Green Day? They're an American band. How the heck did I speak English?"

"You pulled the language out of my head. Rather recklessly too, I might add. I knew how to blunt the effect to prevent any damage, but you need practice before doing anything like that again. Which is why I'm here."

"Ah, you're a telepath?"

"Indeed. One of the most powerful ones in the eastern hemisphere. Might I ask whether you wanted the training for combat capacity or for personal reasons?"

"It's the personal one. My girlfriend is blind, and I was hoping to let her see through my eyes. Thing is, to do that I need to copy the mental ability to 'see' from my mind into hers."

"This Lilly girl, I take it?"

"I mentioned her, didn't I?"

"Very much so. Armor tried to make a move on you and you kind of freaked out. Screaming about how you were 'taken' and 'needed to get married' to avoid people hitting on you. It was kind of funny actually. So, telepathic sight? I can help you with that. Funny you should ask in fact, as I used to be blind myself and used that trick to navigate. Do you feel well enough to begin? I can come back later if you are too hung over."

"No. I can do this," Hisao pushed aside the pain in his head and added "I want to learn."

"Very well."

Misha smiled as she gobbled down a sandwich she had brought to the X-corp office. Being a superhero was fun. Fun people, impressive technology, and best of all, it was something she and Shicchan could do together that would make a difference. Sure, she had wanted to be a sign language teacher, but this was even better. You got to save lives! Well, okay, they hadn't reached the training point for actually going out on missions yet, but with luck they would soon. Shizune had spent almost every moment they weren't at school training in the danger room, and Misha had followed suit for the most part. Even better, Shicchan seemed to finally be making progress on the trepidation she felt about dating Misha. It was taking a while, yes, but Misha was more than willing to wait. She loved Shizune, and she wanted her to be perfectly comfortable with her sexuality before they took their relationship to the next level.

The door to the break room opened and Shizune walked in.

[Hey there Misha] she signed [Great party last night, huh?]

[I was just thinking about you!] Misha replied [And yes, it was. Feel kinda bad for Hicchan though, he was pretty wasted by the end. Must have one whopper of a hangover.]

[Quite likely.] Shizune smiled, leaned in and planted a kiss on Misha's cheek. [How are you doing?]

[I'm great! This past week and a half has been some of the best time of my life! I never knew being a superhero could be so exhilarating!]

[I meant more about our relationship. It occurred to me that I got a bit involved in this training program, and haven't had time to really be with you.]

[What do you mean? We've done almost all of our danger room programs together.]

[That's more like working together. I was just thinking after we train today, we could go on a date. Maybe to that new restaurant that opened up.]

[That would be great! Seven sound good?]

[Yes.] Shizune leaned in and gave her another brief kiss.

Roughly three hours into the training, Hisao was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Excuse me" he told Psylocke, and pushed the button.

"Hello?" he asked. Then his eyes went wide, "Wait, what? Shit. Tell me everything." There was a long pause. "I'll ask." He dropped the phone and stared at Betsy.

"Is something wrong?" the lady asked

Hisao nodded, "I need your help. Hanako had been kidnapped."


	8. Black King Takes White Queen

"Hanako? Who is she?" Betsy asked.

"The closest friend I have after Lilly. Very kind girl, very sweet. Used to have major society anxiety but she has come a long way in overcoming it. Apparently she disappeared last night, and from the looks of her room she did not go quietly."

"Signs of a struggle?"

"The window was shattered, her room trashed, and the letters A-P-O-C were carved into her wall, so I'd say-"

Hisao immediately noticed the look on Betsy's face. She was scared. There was no other way to describe it. Hisao had pegged her as one of the X-men who was pretty much unflappable, but he had been proven wrong.

"I-" Hisao began but she cut him off.

"Shit." she swore, then looked up at Hisao, "This is bad. Very bad."

Hisao looked at her

Psylocke winced, "Apocalypse. Very old mutant, very powerful. One of the most evil beings to have ever existed. Has repeatedly attempted to exterminate humanity. He has a tendency to take people he perceives as having an inner strength and turning them into his 'horsemen'. Makes them incredibly powerful, but mind controlled into serving him. It happened to someone I was... very close to." She wrung her hands nervously.

"Will she be alright?" Hisao asked. It was a stupid question, he realized after he said it.

"Well, if we can find her fast enough, we can avoid any problems. If not." Betsy thought a moment "If a horseman has strong enough emotional ties to a person or group of people, those bonds can snap the victim out of it. If not a powerful psychic might be able to."

"Would I be powerful enough?"

" At your skill level? Doubtful. Besides, I thought you didn't want a combat role?"

"There are a few people I'd would be willing to die for. Hanako is one. I swear, if this Apocalypse has hurt her, I'll kill him." He gritted his teeth.

Psyclock looked at him, "She means that much to you?"

Hisao nodded his head vigorously, "Let me put it this way, I would sooner have someone tear my heart out than have had this happen."

"I see... I'll get the others on this. We'll let you join the rescue organization when we find her, if you want, but you should know that there's a very real chance she'll try to kill you."

"I understand. And I'll take the risk."

In the X-corps danger room, Shizune had just finished a runthrough of program 405: "Sentinel attack." She stopped and wiped the sweat from her brow. Misha was taking a break,but she wanted to run a few more simulations. She walked over to the control panel. Looking through the catalog of programs she scrolled down the list. "Hellfire club ambush?" "Morlock uprising?" " "Mr Sinister's Marauders?" That last one sounded interesting. She made her selection and the danger room formed into an underground labatory. With a "simulation beginning" seven figures formed in the area and turned to attack. One of them, "Arclight", began blowing up the floor while another called "Riptide" began spinning his body at high speeds. As Shizune dodged behind a pile of rubble, she felt a surge of dizziness. She poked her head up, isolated the one called "vertigo" then let out a large lance of energy. The woman failed to dodge and took lethal damage.

Shizune then felt someone lunge behind her. Spinning around, she let out another blast at the big brute lunging at her. It connected, and the hologram identified as "Blockbuster" winced in pain. Pressing the advantage, she let out another jolt, which struck the man in his eyeball. He fell to the ground, and Shizune blasted his head off. "Two down" she thought.

A wave of bullets struck above her head, pinned her down. "Scalphunter" she analyzed. "Ok, Prism and Scrambler cannot reach me with Scalphunter, Riptide, and Arclight firing this way, but I can't poke me head up and check. Lets see." She let out a blast at the ceiling a distance away and pile of rubble fell onto the enemies. Leaping up, she concentrated her fire at the slightly stunned Scalphunter, who she figured to be the most dangerous. The man let off several more shots, but Shizune was able to dodge, albit barely. Scalphunter fell quickly, and she then blasted at Riptide, who was still recovering. Then she felt a hand grab her. "Scrambler" she realized, and then felt herself explode. A massive wave of energy emitted from her, taking out the remaining enemies. She blinked as the simulation shut down

"_Ok, not the most ideal victory, but a win is a win._" She thought. "_Though I doubt he'd make that mistake in real life_."

"_Actually he has_." a voice invaded her thoughts. Shizune jumped two feet in the air in surprise. She hadn't heard anything since the infection she suffered at six years old, so the new arrival came as a major shock. Standing across the room was a blue skinned man in a yellow robe. "_I must say, I'm impressed_" the man thought into her brain "_Most X-men take years to beat that simulation, you managed it in mere weeks._"

[I don't think I've met you before. Are you telepathic? Is that why I can hear you?] Shizune signed

"_Among uncountable other talents, yes. I am the Grandmaster. I have scrutinized you from afar, Shizune, and you intrigue me_."

[So, you're an X-man?]

"_Don't be absurd. I am an Elder of the Universe. I have spent untold billions of years learning strategy about games and in pursuit of competition. I wish to play a game with you_."

[Me? Why me?]

"_Because I sense you are analogous to myself. You too are very competitive in every aspect of your life. It would indulge me to juxtapose our techniques_. "

[Very well then, I accept. What do you want to play?]

"_I believe chess is traditional among your race, is it not_?"

[And the stakes?]

The Grandmaster chuckled "_How about this. If you lose, we will spend an hour talking about you and your life_."

[That's a lot less high stakes that I thought it would be]

"_Well, there is nothing you can offer that I have any interest in. I am playing with you singularly because I think you can give me some decent competition_."

[I see. And what will you give me if I win?]

"_A miracle_."

The grandmaster motioned and the two of them teleported into a small round room with a chess board on a table. The two of them sat down and began to play.

About an hour later. Shizune stared at the board. No way she could win this. It had been close a few times, but she just couldn't quite get there. She stared at the few remaining pieces on the board. Finally, she smiled and moved her bishop.

[Stalemate.] she signed

The Grandmaster laughed "_Very good for a human._" he thought to her, then chuckled.

[Play again, same stakes?] Shizune asked

"_Of course_!"

The next game was much quicker, but had the same result. Stalemate in the endgame. So was the third. After the third game, Shizune looked at her watch and signed

[I need to return to the X-corp. Time for my date with Misha.]

"_Misha? You date a female_?"

[Yes. I know it's unusual, but-]

"Actually its commonplace in 76.4% of the universe's space sectors. I thought this planet prohibited such relationships, however."

[In many places they are, but Japan is fairly liberal about this kind of thing. I fully admit that I have difficulty accepting the situation though.]

"_So, you dislike her._"

[Don't be ridiculous. I love Misha. I just have a mental 'block' I'm still trying to get over. But I'm working on it. I don't know if you understand.]

"_I do actually."_ The Grandmaster's mental tone changed oddly. "_I was romantically inclined towards a woman of the Tre-alter caste on my homeworld, but I was of Non-valtur caste. Thus, I abandoned any inclination of romanticizing her. _"

[What was she like?]

"_She was an artisan. A sculptor, to be precise. Extrodinarly skilled in Confluctory forms and Vertisaly style..._ " for a moment Shizune thought the Grandmaster's features softened, but then his features hardened again.

"_I'll return you to your dwelling.._" The Grandmaster said.


	9. Sacrifice

Shizune materialized just outside her room. Misha was there and immediately turned to her.

[There you are! I've been looking all over for you.] Misha signed

[Sorry, some cosmic entity called the Grandmaster wanted to play chess with me, it took longer than expected.] Shizune replied

[The who?]

[Didn't you read the files? Immortal cosmic gamester. Near as I can tell, he's bored. And lonely, from what I can tell, he doesn't have anyone to be with. Unlike us.]

Misha blushed and gave a smile, then replied [Took me a bit to get home, Psylocke was holding a meeting with the others. Something big apparently.]

[What about?]

[Not sure, they told me to get going. 'Not a job for the new guys' Wolverine said, so I just went here." Misha gave another big grin, then added [You ready?]

[In all the time you have known me, have I ever been not ready?]

[Point taken. Let's go then.]

"So Emi," Max said as they sat in a restaurant, "what got you into running?"

Emi shifted around in a her seat "It's just what I do. I mean, when I run I can lose focus on everything but the track. It gives me a sort of peace."

"I see, but what caused you to begin?"

"Oh, I just have been running since I was a kid," Emi gave Max a grin, "I can't even remember when I first started."

"Ah," Max nodded

"Have you made any progress on your memories?"

"Some," Max admitted, "I remember that the reason I couldn't touch people is that doing so would cause anyone who made skin contact to be turned into a steel statue. I suppose it was something I inherited from my parents."

"Your parents? They had a deathtouch too?"

"My mom did. You know Rogue? The X-man?"

"I've heard about her in the news."

"She was my mother."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. And my dad was Magneto."

Emi gave Max a surprised look, "Really? Your dad's a terrorist and your mother an X-man?"

"Reformed terrorist, mind you. Rogue convinced him to make amends for his past actions...It's a long story. Anyway, for a long time my mom was unable to touch people as well, but she got cured. And I did too. Why however...just lucky I guess." He laughed, "I'm so glad to have met you, I mean...You're fun."

Emi grinned "Well, I'm glad we met too. You're pretty entertaining yourself."

Max smiled "So, what is your family like?"

"My mom is a very sweet person, very considerate. You'd like her."

"And your father?"

Emi's face clouded over, "I'd rather not talk about him."

Max gave a worried look, "Why, did he abuse you?"

Emi shook her head, "No, no. He was a great man. I just... Please don't ask me about him. Please."

Max put his hand on Emi's shoulder, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm more than willing to listen."

"That's nice of you Max, but this is something I have to go through alone."

"Emi, that's not true."

Emi gave him a puzzled look "What do you mean?"

"Emi, one thing I have learned from life is that no matter what you go through, you are _never_ alone. There is always someone somewhere who is going through something very similar to what you go through. I know what it's like to feel like you have to endure things without help. When my deathtouch manifested I felt like I would never be able to get close to anyone. I felt that way for years. But then I met this girl, Jennifer Takeda, who emitted uncontrollable radiation, and had to spend the rest of her life in a containment suit. She supported me and I supported her. We never actually made a relationship, but we became close friends. I know we've only been together a few weeks, but I hear you crying in the night and it breaks my heart. I know you've said that its 'just nightmares' but I care about you, and if there's anything I can do for you, I will do it."

"Max, I know you mean well..." Emi searched for the words, then winced slightly, "I don't know. Look, I'm okay, alright? I don't need somebody to support me."

"I know you don't need it, but do you want it?"

Emi looked sad, "I'm fine Max, really."

"If you ever want to talk, I can listen."

Emi gave Max a very long look, then finally shook her head vigorously.

"You said that already. But I'll keep it in mind."

Misha stared at Shizune, watching as her girlfriend fidgeted in her seat

[Something wrong Shicchan?] She signed.

[I just...] Shizune shook her head [This isn't working.]

[What, the restaurant?]

[No, my mental block. I'm trying, I really am, it just... It's not working. It's still getting in the way. It's hard to explain]

[Shicchan, you're too hard on yourself. Let me take a stab at how you feel. You have a lot of guilt over your bisexuality that you're still working through, so you're trying to cover it up by training with me, which is a safe activity. But you feel bad about sticking to 'safe' activities, which makes you feel even more guilty about your relationship with me, since you feel like you're neglecting me. This perpetuates a sort of cycle. Is that about right?]

Shizune did a double take [That's exactly it. How did you know?]

[I know how you think. But stop beating yourself up. I don't mind, really. I just want you to be comfortable with yourself. That's the most important part. I'll wait for you for however long you need.]

[Misha. I-] Shizune paused [Thank you. You really shouldn't have to wait, but thank you for being patient with me.]

[No problem. It's what lovers do, right? Be patient with each other. I love you Shicchan.]

[I love you too Misha.]

Shizune got up from her seat and gave Misha a quick hug before sitting back down again.

The next day...

"Why the hell didn't you tell us about this?" Misha shouted at Psylocke. Anger was clearly evident in her tone of voice, a rarity for her.

Shizune glared at the ninja, but didn't sign anything. Less out of not knowing what to say and more due the fact that she felt if she unclasped her hands, she'd punch someone. Instead, she took deep breaths and tried hard to calm the rising anger.

"The general consensus was that the two of you are too inexperienced to go on a mission of this caliber." Her voice was calm, though Misha could tell her patients was being tried. "And we were unaware the two of you knew her."

"Not enough training? We've been working our butts off! And Hanako's our friend! You have no idea..." Misha threw a punch, but Besty grabbed her wrist in mid-flight. Her measured expression didn't change in the slightest, and as soon as she caught the wrist she gave it a sharp twist. Misha let out a small yelp in pain.

"I will admit that it was a mistake to keep you out of the loop. We will let you join in once she is located. And yes, I fully acknowledge how hard you've been performing. I'm sorry."

"Damn right you should be sorry!" Misha shook her head and signed to Shizune, [Let's go. Maybe we'll find something if we search ourselves. Since apparently the others don't think enough of us to let us join in.]

Shizune grabbed Misha's hand and they stormed out of the office.

Four days later, Hisao trudged down the street. He was horribly worried about Hanako. Despite the X-men's best efforts, they had been unable to locate his friend, and she was probably suffering horribly while Apocalypse did god-knows-what to her. Lilly was even more worried than Hisao, and spent every waking moment searching the city with her "molecule sense". It wasn't working,_ likely as supervillains tended to live in fancy hidden bases in the middle of nowhere or giant fortresses obvious to anyone who looked in their general area_, Hisao thought. but it was the only way she could deal with her anxiety. Hisao hated feeling so helpless. His best friend was gone. Disappeared. Missing in action. And there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could have done. He gave a withering look to nobody in particular, then noticed a nearby billboard on a nearby auditorium"Genetic Alteration and Subsequent Practical Applications." It read. Hisao sighed and walked into the building. He wasn't sure why, maybe just to take his mind off everything. Science tended to help with that. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if he should take his mind off the issue, as he worried if he did so he would miss an important clue or event, but despite that, he walked into the lecture hall and plunked himself down in an empty seat.

"Now, one might consider the potential dangers of such technology" the scientist was explaining "Especially considering the minimal oversight of governing bodies on metahumans. Since registration acts have fallen out of favor ever since the great superhero strike of '07, powered individuals are only held in check by other powered individuals. If this kind of technology is perfected, the number of superhuman fights would likely increase exponentially. The current system would likely prove to be unsustainable without greater-

It was at that point the wall exploded inwards. Four individuals appeared through the gap, standing on a floating platform. The first was a large brute wielding a large axe, the second was a winged figure with a sword in each hand, the third was a small man with small insects circulated all around him, and the fourth was a skinny lady. All four were clad in metal armor and yellow skull masks that obscured any details of their faces or bodies. The crowd was panicking.

"War, Pestilence," The winged figure said "Slay the scientists and then start on the crowd. Famine, locate the research and destroy it."

"Aye sir" the brute and the man with the insects states at the same time.

"Very well." The lady said. Hisao did a double take. Her voice..._Crap, thats Hanako_! He thought. Hisao grabbed his phone and pressed the speed dial.

"Logan!" he screamed into the receiver "The horsemen are here!"

"Eh? Hisao?"

"Hanako's here too, she'd been transformed. I'm going to try to reason with her, but you need to get your ass down here and take on the other three."

"Hisao, don't do anything stupid. Hide out until we arrive-" Logan began to instruct, but Hisao cut him off.

"NO! I'm not going to stand by with my best friend turned into some kind of supervillain! Hurry!" He hung up and began to fight against the crowd. This was a goddamn nightmare, like something out of one of those American comic books Kenji tried to share with him.

"HANAKO!" he shouted, as the girl ran down into a nearby hall "HANAKO!"

Realizing he was being slowed down by the crowd, he focused hard on "_MOVE_" and projected it in to every mind around him. There wasn't much room, but enough people got the suggestion and ducked out the way for him to reach the hall Hanako was heading down. Fortunately it was empty of people, and he could see the figure at the end of the hall. Mentally, he reached out. Her mind was in turmoil, that much was clear. He could sense that a second, extremely nasty, personality had been inserted in her brain and her actual mind was being contained in a sort of psychic prison. He hit the wall of the prison with a surge of psychic energy, but it remained intact.

"HANAKO!" he shouted as the figure turned toward him. His heart was starting to pound, but he tried to ignore it.

"Who are you?" Hanako asked

"It's me, Hisao! You need to stop this!"

Hisao felt himself being gripped by and invisible hand and pulled towards Hanako. He continued trying to pound away at her mental cage, but to no avail. The movement stopped when he was a few feet from her armored figure, but the grip remained.

"You are in my way" her voice was like ice, "Time to die."

"Hanako, please! Fight this!" Hisao pleaded. He launched a psychic salvo at the mental barriers in her mind, but they did not give.

Hanako started squeezing him with her force field. Hisao let out a cry of pain.

"Hmm, you seem resistant to the crushing." Hanako responded "No matter, I have another way." She held up a hand, and Hisao screamed as pressure built up in his brain. He realized he couldn't break the barrier in her mind. Only she could do that. He concentrated at the pain built.

Hanako watched as she saw Hisao's head explode from the inside out.


	10. Trauma

And just like that the cage in Hanako's mind shattered and her real personality surged to the forefront. And with that, she realized exactly what she had done. Hisao was dead. Her best friend in the entire world was dead. And she had killed him.

She let out a strangled cry and slumped to the ground. Nothing mattered now. There was nothing she could do to make amends for what happened.

"What have I done." she whispered. "Oh my god. What have I done."

She was a monster, plain and simply. One of the only people she had ever met who showed her true kindess, and she had repaid him by stabbing him in the back. She wanted to die.

"It's...alright." a voice said. "I'm... fine."

"Hisao?" She whispered, and looked up to see Hisao standing over her. He was clutching his chest and breathing heavily. But he was alive. Hanako looked around, there was not a bit of blood on the ground "H-how..?" she got out before staring to cry again

"Got...in your head...Made you think... you hurt me." He winced slightly and focused. A few moments later, the pain in his chest went away and he went over to Hanako and put his arms around her.

"It's okay." he said softly"Mind control is a nasty business, but you're better now."

"I-I...I would've k-killed p-people..."

"But you didn't. No harm, no foul, right?" Hisao wasn't sure how to comfort her, honestly. The entire situation seemed so surreal, like out of a movie. In the span of days, he had gained superpowers, met two girls from another universe, and then... this had happened. And he would have given up almost anything to have prevented it.

Hanako didn't respond, just continued sobbing in her helmet.

"Is she okay?" a voice said. Hisao glanced over to see a girl walking up. She was around twenty years old, had dark black hair and was dressed in one of the X-men's battle uniforms. Two metal claws on her hands were being pulled back into her wrists as she walked up.

"No, I-I'm not." Hanako sobbed, "Oh god, what I m-might have done..."

"Is the situation under control?" Hisao asked

X-23 nodded "Voidstar and Hardhead were near Rin when we got your call, so when we contacted those two, the artist was able to teleport all us over here. The other three horsemen were taken down few moments ago." She then looked at Hanako sadly and kneeled over to her

"You'll be alright." She said.

"N-no, I won't..." Hanako choked out "I would've killed Hisao. I am such a horrible person."

"Don't say that." Hisao gently chided her "Don't ever say that. You are the most beautiful soul I know. Being mind controlled doesn't change that in the least."

"I w-would've killed you. And I love you Hisao, you and Lilly are the c-closest thing I have to family. I would've k-killed my family. What does that say about me?"

"It says you are a victim of unfortunate circumstance," X-23 said,"Listen Hanako, I actually did kill my family, but it wasn't my fault. I was mind controlled, much as you were. This isn't your fault. Take it from someone who knows."

"I s-should have been stronger...I couldn't fight it."

X-23 shook her head "There is not a single superhero on the planet who hasn't been in this circumstance at least once. The important thing is that nobody was hurt by you."

"T-they might have been."

"But they weren't," Hisao said "Going what-if what-if what-if will only make you feel worse." He released his hug, adjusted his sitting position and then hugged her again. "I love you Hanako, please don't blame yourself for this."

Hisao and X-23 sat with Hanako for a long while as she cried herself out. Finally the tears sounded like they were slowing down.

"H-Hisao," she said, a bit more calmly "I would n-never want to hurt you."

"I know that," Hisao said "You're a good person. A very good person. One of the best, in fact."

"P-Please don't hate me."

"I could never hate you. You mean so much to me. I love you Hanako, you and Lilly are my world."

Hanako's tears finally stopped.

"T-Thank you". She finally said. She took a few deep breaths and added "Um...I n-need to get this helmet off. D-don't be alarmed, there's been a change." Hisao nodded. Hanako took another deep breath, and with one swift motion yanked the mask off her head and threw it to the side. Hisao's mouth dropped open. Her scars were gone. Where the right side of her face had been horribly burned, it was now unblemished skin. She then undid the armor she was wearing and shook off the gauntlets, leaving her in a a sleeveless tank top that showed the damage to her body had been repaired as well.

"Hanako." Hisao said, stunned, and hugged her again, even tighter than before "You're healed! Apocalypse healed you?"

Hanako shrugged "Yes. I g-guess." she said

"That's wonderful!" Hisao then saw the hurt look on her face "Isn't this what you wanted?"

"It was," Hanako said softly "but not in this way. Not at all in this way. It wasn't worth it. Not in the least."

Hisao looked at her sadly. "I..." he finally said "I thought you would've been ecstatic to be healed. I just... I want you to be happy Hanako. You are the most genuine person I know, and I thought..."

"I know Hisao. That's who you are. Always thinking about the people around you, to the point you'd be willing to die for them." Hanako winced at the thought, "If I had actually killed you? I never would have recovered from that. Ever." Tears formed in her eyes again.

Hisao gave her another hug. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep you from being kidnapped. I'm sorry I couldn't find you while you were missing. I'm sorry I had to make you think you killed me. I should have.. I should have prevented this."

Hanako gave him a hug back "You c-couldn't have done anything. I'm just glad you're alright. I'm so glad." She choked back a sob and got up.

"I think the rest of the team can take it from here if you'd like to leave." The girl with the claws suggested.

"Thanks X-23." Hisao replied

"Call me Laura." X-23 said, smiling.

"Thanks Laura."

The three of them walked outside. The building was a wreck. Two walls had suffered almost complete collapse, and there were huge holes torn in the roof. Piles of rubble were scattered around the area as far as Hisao could see. A series of ambulances were gathered around the scene, moving large numbers of injured civilians, almost certainly to the hospital. The rest of the X-corp were talking among themselves. The other three horsemen were dead. Death's head had been severed from the rest of his body, while Pestilence's armor had been torn open, exposing burns wounds on his body. War's arms had apparently been torn off his body by bursts of energy and was lying in a pool of blood. As Hisao and Hanako approached, Misha and Shizune looked up.

"Hicchan! Hanako! You're all right!" Misha cried out. Then she did a double take "Hanako, your face-"

"If its alright with you" Hanako replied wearily "I'd j-just like to go home. I'll tell you about it later."

"But I want to know-" Misha began, but then saw Shizune signing at her "Alright." she then said. "Hey Rin!" she called out. Rin looked over from a distance part of the plaza. There was a popping sound as she teleported in front of them.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Did any planets collide?" She looked at Hanako and gave a sort of half-smile. "Your face is symmetrical now."

"Yes," Hanako said "C-can you take us home? I just w-want to take a long nap."

Rin didn't answer, there was simply a popping noise at they teleported to the building Hanako and Hisao lived in.

As Hisao walked Hanako to her room, Lilly came running out of her apartment, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Hanako and hugged her close.

"Lilly..." Hanako began.

"Oh god Hanako, I was so worried." Lilly said, her voice cracking. "Are you hurt?"

Hanako's eyes moistened, "I...I..." she got out before bursting into tears again. "I'm so sorry." she finally got out in between sobs. "I n-never meant..."

"I know."

After a few minutes, Lilly finally let go.

"Would you like to stay with us tonight?" Hisao asked

Hanako shook her head, trying to clear the tears "I t-think I'd like to be alone for a little while actually. But thank you."

Lilly gave Hanako another hug "If you need anything," she said "Anything at all, let us know. We're here for you."

"Thank you Lilly. I might later, but for n-now I just want to sleep." Hanako opened the door to her room and went inside, then collapsed onto her bed. She prayed there would be no dreams waiting for her.

"Hey Emi?" Max said as they went home from a date

"Yes?" Emi responded

"There's not really a good way to say this... I'm going to need to take a trip."

"Oh, really? Where to?"

"San Francisco. I found where my parents live and I feel like I should go over there and tell them that I'm actually alive. I hope that's okay." Max looked at Emi with a worried look on his face.

"Oh, it's fine. No problem at all. How long will you be going?" Emi shrugged nonchalantly

"Probably a couple weeks. Are you going to be alright?

"Oh yeah sure. I mean, just cause we're dating doesn't mean we're joined at the hip, right?" Emi grinned.

"Yes, I just worry about you."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm doing great," Emi waved her hand dismissively, "I'll eagerly await your return."

Max looked at her. He couldn't help but wonder whether she was really alright, or just saying that to alley his fears.

Later that night, Hisao was with Lilly in their apartment.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Lilly asked.

"You know as well as I do how strong she is. So yes, I do think so. I really wish there had been another way though. The illusion worked, but considering how she reacted when she thought she had killed me..." Hisao shook his head, "I wish to god there had been something else I could've done. Anything else, really."

"Would you be able to remove the memory, if she wants?"

Hisao shook his head, "Telepathy can be...tricky. I don't think I can perform that kind of alteration without causing damage. I just don't have the skill. I wish to god I did." He gave a tired sigh, then added "Lilly, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Hisao winced and asked his question, "I need you to be completely honest with me. What do you think about my trying to help you see?"

Lilly chuckled, "Well, its a very sweet attempt. But I think you're a bit too obsessed with it.. I mean, I'd love to have sight, but its not a high priority. I'm just fine the way I am."

Hisao hung his head, "You told me that before. I didn't really listen when I should have. I'm sorry. Maybe if I had I would've been around and Hanako wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"Don't say that."

"I just feel like maybe I could've-"

"Hisao. Read my lips." Lilly sounded deadly serious "You. Couldn't. Have. Done. Anything. Don't you dare beat yourself up thinking this was something you could have prevented. You wanted to make things 'perfect' for me, and you just happened to be out of the school when this happened. If you had gone down to the store for a loaf of bread, would you blame yourself then?"

"Probably."

Lilly smiled, "I love you but you need to get over the idea that you are the deciding factor for everything. Even if you had been here and tried to stop the kidnapping, you couldn't have prevented it. I mean, these were some of the worst supervillains to exist and you're just a telepath with a few days of training. So don't blame yourself. Ever."

"I...very well." Hisao adjusted his position on the bed and then spoke again "I'll do my best. And I'll quit my training. I just...I thought my telepathy was a miracle, that I could help you cure your blindness like the healing factor fixed my heart. I didn't consider that you didn't need sight. I'm sorry."

"I never said I didn't want to be able to see, only that I don't need it. Hisao...look, you want to help. You always want to help, it's one of your best qualities. You don't need to apologize for that. And don't quit your training. The illusion worked. You yourself said you couldn't breach the barriers in her mind, but she was able to break free because you were able to project what you did. As unfortunate as the aftereffects were, it worked. If you hadn't been for the training, you wouldn't have been able to do that, and I don't even want to think about what could've happened then. So keep training."

"I...very well." He leaned in close to Lilly and gave her a quick kiss.

"_You are in my way, time to die."_

"_Hanako please, fight this!"_

Hanako jerked awake with a scream. "oh god.." she mumbled and took some deep breaths. Then she began to cry. She should've been stronger. Been able to fight. Should've run when the figure appeared outside her window. Should've done almost anything aside from what she did do.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hanako?" she heard Trevor call.

"I...I.." she gasped. Then got out "Come in."

The door opened and Trevor walked inside and looked sadly at her. "I hear about what happened. Are you holding up okay?"

Hanako shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, "No. No I'm not. I saw my best friend die at my hand. That's not something you get over." She looked downward "I never wanted this. Why couldn't I have just been left alone?"

"Sadly, once people gain superpowers, they tend to get dragged into the metahuman lifestyle regardless of their best efforts to avoid it."

Hanako nodded weakly, "But I didn't want these force field powers or healing factors or anything like this. Why me?"

"I don't know," Trevor said "But look at it this way. You have good friends who will help you through this. You have people like myself who care about you. If there is anything I can do, anything at all, let me know."

Hanako hesitated, then finally said, "One thing."

"Name it."

"Sit with me. Please."

Trevor pulled up a seat next to Hanako's bed. He put his arm around Hanako's shoulder and she buried her face in his arm, crying softly.


	11. Resurrection

"Emi?"

Emi looked up from her spot where she was cooling down after her run, and nearly fell over.

"_Yuuko_?" She asked.

"Yes, it's me. Um. Is something wrong?" The red haired lady said. She looked extremely disheveled, like she had been sleeping on the street.

Emi's mouth was agape. "This is impossible...Simply impossible..."

"Emi..."

"Yuuko... You're _dead." _Emi blurted it out.

__Yuuko gave her a sad look, but didn't respond.

"Yuuko, you died in a car accident five months ago! I attended your funeral! Did you feign your death or something? If so, I hope it was for a really good reason. I mean, we all took your passing very hard. Hisao was majorly upset, I felt horrible, Hanako cried. And now you come up and show that you're alive-"

"I did die." Yuuko said, embarrassed.

"What?"

Yuuko looked down at her feet. "I did die in that wreck."

Emi stared at her. Yuuko continued "I was, well... Umm.. I guess you could say I was caught. I wound up in a gray city, mostly barren of life. I don't know how long I was there. Then recently I felt you...nearby. Umm..." she searched for the words.

"Did you sense me as a beacon?" Emi asked incredulously.

"Yes. That's exactly it. I just had this feeling that if I could find you, I could...return.. I guess."

"Wait, are you saying I raised you from the dead?"

"Not exactly..." Yuuko fidgeted a bit with her hands, clearly having diffcult finding the words to explain.

"Then what do you mean?"

"I...umm..." Yuuko swallowed "I guess I was lost, but I found my way back. Does that make sense?"

Emi scratched her head, then looked at her for a long while and finally said, "Its starting to."

"Good! Good. The thing is..."

"Yes?"

"I um...Since I was dead, my assets were distributed according to my will...not that I blame them..." Yuuko winced.

"I'm not sure if I can help with that."

"Yes... well... I just was hoping you knew what to do..."

"When did you come back?"

"About a week ago. I considered talking to you, but you seemed like you were discussing things..."

Emi looked at her sadly, "I want to help, I really do, I am just not sure how. Let me call some of my friends. Do you have any family you can stay with?"

Yuuko shook her head, "Not...nearby. Most of them are on the other side of Japan..."

Emi nodded and pulled out her phone and dialed a number. After a few minutes, she took it away from her ear "Hisao's not answering."

"Oh, Hisao? How is he doing?"

"It's complicated. Let me try a different number."

She dialed a second number. Then took it away from her head again. "I forgot, Max is out of town. Who else might have an idea on how to proceed..." Emi began pacing in a circle. "Shizune never answers my texts, the X-corp is mainly for people with powers...You don't have powers, do you?"

"Not as far as I know..."

"Figured as much... I got it! Come this way!" She immediately started dashing towards a nearby bus stop. Yuuko followed the best as she could, and arrived just as the bus pulled up. The two got on.

"Where we going?" Yuuko asked.

"To see this one guy. He's a nutcase, but he seems to know more about superpowers and resurrections than anyone else I know. He knew Hisao and the rest of us were going to gain powers before anyone else."

"You have powers?"

"Short version, is the second time now someone has claimed they saw me as a 'beacon' in a gray city. I am beginning to suspect Max was right when he said I could 'call lost souls' or something. Anyway, as looney as the guy is, Kenji knows a bit about this stuff. Provided you can separate his actual knowledge from his anti-feminist ramblings."

"Kenji?" Yuuko asked, a note of surprise creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, you remember him from Yamaku, right?"

"Of course. We dated for a while."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yes...

"I can't believe that! Kenji had a GIRLFRIEND?" Emi slapped her thigh in laughter "I never would have guessed! I would have thought Mr. feminist conspiracy wouldn't even entertain the idea!"

Yuuko's face turned crimson, but she didn't respond.

The bus stopped and Yuuko and Emi got off. After a brief walk, they arrived at a small house. Emi knocked on the door. There was a sound of at least seven locks being undone, and the door opened a crack. Kenji's eyeball peeked out. Then he opened the door the rest of the way. The moment he saw Yuuko, he stopped dead in his tracks.

When Emi had been told Kenji had once been Yuuko's boyfriend, she had immediately assumed he would freak out upon seeing her. But he didn't. Instead, he just stood there and stared at her.

"Kenji?" Yuuko asked "I've missed you, why didn't you ever call me?"

Kenji just stared at her.

"Are you alright? Still fighting the feminists?"

Kenji still stared at her.

"Kenji...?"

Kenji twitched slightly.

"I think you broke his brain." Emi stated.

Kenji opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"You're dead." He stated flatly "Are you a clone?"

"No, I've kinda... returned..." Yuuko replied.

"Doppleganger? Parallel universe version? Robot? Time traveler from the past? Skrull? Kree warrior? Pheonix force duplicate? Illusion in my mind? Living dream? Assassin with an image inducer? Shapeshifter? Actress modified at a genetic level? Clone? Wait, I already said clone."

"No Kenji, I'm me."

He stared at her. "Prove it."

"Honeymuffin."

Kenji's mouth dropped open.

"What does Honeymuffin mean?" Emi asked

"It's a code phrase," Kenji answered. "I use code phrases a lot. Helps me tell whose on the level and who isn't."

"Kenji, why did you leave?" Yukko asked "I thought we had something together."

"Because you," he replied, pointing at Yuuko accusingly, "Started stealing my life energy when we had sex."

"Kenji...no...that's.. not..."

"Yes, that time we had sex, I started feeling tired and sleepy! That shouldn't happen!"

"Kenji, I don't know why you felt that way, but I would never hurt you."

"Really? I think its more likely you're an immortal succubus who enjoys taking my lifeforce."

"Kenji.."

"Are you some kind of feminist or something? I thought you were sane, unlike almost every girl I've met, but I think-"

"Kenji," Emi started. She had to step in before this got any worse. "Yuuko needs help. She's returned from the dead, and is pretty much destitute as her resources were divided up after she died. I was hoping you could help her. Hisao told me you could win the lottery at will, can you please find it in your heart to give her a boost?"

Kenji stared at Emi. Then at Yuuko, then at Emi again, "You're a friend of Hisao's, right?"

"Yes."

"I trust Hisao with my life, so I think I trust you enough to get your viewpoint on this situation. How would you explain the fact she stole my life energy?"

Emi's first impulse was to try to explain that it was probably a normal medical phenomenon, that nobody enjoys the first time they had sex. But then she thought better of it. When dealing with a lunatic, the trick was to be just as insane as they were. Finally she said "Perhaps she was using it to power an machine that fed off life energy and detected feminists from miles around."

Kenji's eyes widened behind his glasses, and he started laughing,"Ah, a cerebro for feminists! That's brilliant! Is that right, Yuuko?"

"Um.. yes.." Yuuko said.

"Good! Very Good! Explains a lot!" Kenji smiled. "I got a safehouse on the other side of town, you can stay there." he pulled out a large ring of keys from his pocket and took one off. Then he pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled an address on it. "Yes, here you go. I keep about ten safehouses in operation at any one time. You can have this one. I'll stop by later on and drop off some cash so you can get some clothes and stuff." he handed the key and paper to Yuuko.

"Thank you very much. I am so grateful." Yuuko said.

"Eh, we gotta stick together, don't we? I kinda regret rushing off without giving you a chance to explain this device you're building. I really should have known you were on my side. Uh, I'll be in touch. Right now I've got to reprogram my car." He closed the door. Yuuko looked at Emi.

"Reprogram his car?" Yuuko repeated

"It's a long story."

Hisao gave Lilly a big kiss as the two of them strode out of their last class.

"You've been upbeat lately," Lilly remarked.

"Just so happy to be alive." Hisao replied "I lived my life in the shadow of death for so long it's such a relief to not have to worry about that. I figured I wouldn't live to see middle age. But I can. And I will. With you."

Lilly giggled a little, "It's good to see you in such spirits. Is your training going well?"

"Very well. Learning more about illusion casting and mental alterations. I think in a few weeks I'll be able to perform the psychic manipulations needed to...well, Psylocke called it psychic surgery. Or something like that."

"Still focused on my seeing, are you?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just feel it's important. Is that a problem?

"It's alright. I don't mind. I admit I am curious as to what colors look like to be honest. And art sounds nice as well. It's not the huge deal you were making it out to be, but it does sound interesting."

"Well, pretty soon you can find out. I just have to be careful. This isn't something I can afford to screw up."

"I can understand why." Lilly smiled.

"Any luck with molecular manipulation?"

"No, no change. So far I'm thinking I can only talk to objects, not command them. Pity, that kind of ability would come in handy in so many situations... By the way, has there been any change in Hanako?"

"She seems to want space. I'm respecting her wishes in that."

"Yes, well, I just worry about her."

"Me too." Hisao responded softly, "She's been spending a lot of time alone. I've been trying to meet with her, but she seems to be avoiding us. The brainwashing really did a number on her."

"You don't think she'll go back to how she used to be, do you?"

"Not at all, she's far too strong for that. I mean, she turned her life around 180 degrees since I met her. I have every faith that if she needs something, she'll ask. I think she just needs time. "

"Alright, if you think so."

"I know so."

As Hanako paced around her room, she ran her fingers through her hair. This wasn't working. At first, she had wanted to be alone, but that only made her feel even more miserable than she was. Then she had tried to spend time with Trevor, but it didn't help her anxiety any. All she could see when she closed her eyes was Hisao screaming in pain as she prepared to pop his head like a grape. She just wanted to feel better, like she had before the past week's events. She then sat on the bed and started to cry, feeling overwhelmed. _Why couldn't things have just stayed like they had been?_ She then heard a popping sound behind her.

"Rin?" she asked, turning around to face the aubrun-haired artist who had just appeared in her room.

"I'm here," The girl said, as she looked at Hanako sadly, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," Hanako said, trying to stop the tears from flowing. "I nearly killed Hisao."

"I know," Rin said softly "But it doesn't help to keep dwelling on this."

"Don't you think I know that? Believe me, if I knew how to stop, I would." Hanako's voice started to crack, "Why are you here anyway?"

"I wanted to help. I know my mind isn't straight like everyone's, but I can't let a good person act invisible," Rin looked down and then looked back up "I'm medium bad at communicating, but doing nothing would just lead to more nothing."

Hanako was a bit confused at that last statement, "So, you want to help?"

"Yes."

"That's very sweet of you, but I don't think this can be helped. I...I just wish..." Hanako buried her face in her arms. Rin walked up and leaned against her, placing her head on Hanako's shoulder

"If I had arms," Rin said sadly, "I'd give you a hug. I don't, but I want you better. You are a good person."

Hanako looked at Rin, and the magnitude of those words struck her. When Trevor, or Lilly, or even Hisao told her that, she had trouble believing it. They loved her, yes, but she still felt like a monster after what she nearly did, and thought her friends were just covering up that fact. But Rin... She knew one thing about Rin. Rin never lied. She _couldn't_ lie. Her mind prevented that. Whatever she said, she truly believed.

"I...I..." Hanako began and then broke down. "You think so?" She finally got out.

"Yes." Rin replied

"But I nearly killed Hisao..."

"Hisao's alive."

"Yes, but if he hadn't snapped me out of that state..."

Rin paced around the room some, then stopped and stared at Hanako. "Hisao's alive" She said plainly "Why wallow in this state?"

"I just can't stop thinking about it. It's going around and around in my mind and I can't make it stop."

"Then think about something else. When bad things happen to me, they don't bother me because I think about two things at once. It used to be four, but my medication cuts it down to two. So I just put the sad stuff in one mind-track and focus on the other." She looked at Hanako and shrugged "But I guess you can't do that."

"Not really," Hanako shook her head. "

Rin nodded. "Would you like to come to my studio?"

Hanako sobbed deeply for a moment, then choked out. "I guess."

There was a popping sound, and the scene suddenly changed. The two girls reappeared in Rin's apartment. It was crowded with paintings, some finished as much as Hanako could tell, others in various states of completion.

Hanako looked through the paintings, taking in the abstraction. Then she noticed one in the corner that was actually well defined. It portrayed a blue skinned man in a yellow robe.

"This is interesting," Hanako remarked, "Not your usual style."

"I call that one En-dwi-gast."

"You actually gave it a name?"

"En-Dwi-Gast is his name. It felt right to paint it. Not sure why," Rin shrugged. "Its like a man who could understand everything I see. So that maybe I wouldn't have to be alone in my art. I've been trying to diversify lately, do paintings that show the world the way I see it, yet in a form other people can understand as well. It's hard. Very hard. I've done a few though, that is one."

"Did you get his figure from anything in particular?"

"A hunch."

"Pardon?"

"It just felt like something real. Someone I could meet. I hope he is."

Hanako wasn't sure how to reply to that, so she didn't.

"Rin," she finally said, her tears slowing down somewhat, "You said I'm a good person. But I nearly killed Hisao. How can I be a good person when I nearly killed my best friend? I feel like a monster." Hanko could guess what Rin would say next, that mind control wasn't her fault and she shouldn't blame herself. Easier said than done. She should have been more careful, not let herself been taken...

"Would you forgive Hisao if he had nearly killed you instead?" Rin replied. Hanako was a bit startled at the question.

"I...I..." Hanako stammered "Yes." She finally said.

Rin shrugged, "There's your answer."

"What do you mean?"

"Hisao forgave you. Lilly forgave you. All that remains is for you to forgive yourself. Rather than hurting. Give yourself the same breaks you'd give other people."

"How?"

Rin looked at Hanako for a long time. Finally she motioned with one armless sleeve to a stack of paintings on a counter.

"Third from the top." She said plainly.

Hanako nodded and picked up the top two paintings and put the aside, then she let out a small gasp. The third painting showed a woman with four white wings and six arms dressed in a white dress standing tall and holding up what appeared to be a ball of light against a dark background. The figure looked positively angelic, and most striking was that it had Hanako's face. The grey-purple eyes, the small nose, the long bangs that covered much of the right side of the face... It was definitely Hanako.

"I..." Hanako began.

"That's how I see you." Rin said simply, "A light in the darkness. A voice through the music. A smell beneath the senses... You're like how it is when you're in a crowded room and everybody's talking very loudly and then all of sudden you hear your name being said from the other side... Am I making sense?"

Hanako gave a small smile and wiped away her tears, "You really think that much of me?"

Rin gave a quick nod, "Everyone has issues. Well, not everyone, but everyone interesting. But you fixed yours."

"I wouldn't use the term 'fixed'."

"I would," Rin gave a shrug "But maybe you wouldn't. But you have overcome every obstacle in your path. You stopped hiding, you stopped running, you stopped wanting to disappear. Your accomplishments saved me."

"Saved you?"

Rin nodded, then looked down at her feet. "The past few years were very difficult. I don't know if you can guess. My brain isn't wired like most people's is. Its like a switchboard, but where most people have one connection between thoughts, I had four.. My thoughts were like cars going the wrong way on a one-way street, and kept colliding. It was bad. Very bad. It's hard to explain " Rin frowned slightly, then continued. "The reason I paint...It's not to make a statement or earn money, I painted in the hopes that someone, somewhere, could see the world the way I did. So I wouldn't have to be alone. But nobody understood. I was all by myself."

"What about Emi? I thought you two were like sisters?"

"Emi took care of me. But she didn't understand either. Nobody did. It was around a couple years ago I gave up."

Hanako winced at that, and Rin noticed her reaction.

"I know. It wasn't the smart thing to do," She said "But at the time it felt right. Many things feel right at the time. One day, after a particularly bad fight with my teacher, I finally decided to end it. I went to a store and bought a bottle of sleeping pills. I figured I'd take them all at once and die." She shrugged matter-of-factly, as if she was talking about the weather. "But then I ran into you on the way to my house." Rin paused for a moment and collected her thoughts. "I hadn't seen you in ages, so I still remembered you as the shy girl from Yamaku who never let anyone close to her. But you weren't her anymore. You were better. I had thought before then that you wouldn't have been able to change, but you did. So we talked about our lives. Your life in particular. How you had friends and were creating programs and all that. It gave me pause. When I got home that night, I thought that maybe if you had turned your life around, maybe I could to. So I threw the pills in the garbage."

"You're saying..."

"Yes, you saved me. Like I said. So I decided that I would make an appointment to figure out what was wrong with my brain. It took months, and visits to many doctors, but they finally prescribed me medication that they said could help. It did, it made me normal. But it also killed my ability to paint. I didn't want that. So I got on a different pill. It strikes a balance. Nobody still understands how I see the world, but at least I can talk with people now."

"I never knew."

Rin shrugged again, "Now you do. And now you know why it kills me to see you like this. You saved my life. And if I could give it up so that you would feel whole again, I would do so in a heartbeat."

Hanako's eyes watered again and she reached out and embraced Rin.

"Thank you" she said softly. "I mean it, thank you. I think it helps to hear that I made a difference."

"Everything makes a difference. But you made more than most." "Rin leaned her head on Hanako's shoulder, "You'll be alright."

"I..." Hanako got out, "I'll have to."


	12. Healing

Shizune stared at the chess board for a long time, then finally made a move

[Stalemate] She signed to the Grandmaster.

"_Most unusual._" the blue man responded, "T_hat's the twenty fifth game that ended indecisively Again?._"

[Soon, I'm going to get a snack.] Shizune signed and stood up, then walked over to the kitchen. The Grandmaster followed, but stopped in his tracks midway there. Shizune grabbed an apple out of her fridge, then turned back to see him staring at a painting on her wall.

"_Who made this?_" he spoke into Shizune's head.

[Classmate of mine, her name was Rin. Why?]

"_It's astonishing. Excellent use of psylantic media avernial colors and lakadial positioning..It stirs me... . I wonder... What is this Rin person like?"_

[She's a bit weird, but has a good heart. If you want, I can tell you about her.]

The Grandmaster stared at the painting for a long while_,"Yes...Yes.. I think I will visit her."_ he finally said.

Emi stood over her father grave, tears in her eyes. She was afraid, as much as she hated to admit it to herself. When Kenji had said they would develop superpowers, she had expected to gain superspeed or possibly strength. She hadn't expected to raise the dead. It was the last thing on her mind. But Max had come back after being trapped between this world and the hereafter, and so had Yuuko. Her hands began to sweat. Maybe she could bring her father back, maybe she couldn't, but she was going to try.

"Daddy!" She called out into the air "If you can hear me, I miss you, come back to me!"

Concentrating on the air around her, she tensed, every nerve aware. She really wasn't sure what she could do, as Max and Yuuko had come back without her doing anything, but this seemed like as good an idea as any. For a moment, nothing happened, then a white form appeared on the grave. It was hard to make out, but had the general form of a young man.

"Emi?" a voice came from the aether, "You there, pumpkin?."

"Daddy!" Emi cried "But why aren't you solid? Why don't you have a body?"

"Well, the short version is that Yuuko and Max were caught on your world. I'm not. I've moved on. It is really good to be able to talk though, haven't had a good talk with you in..." The figure gave a shrug. " A long time."

Emi stared at her father. For eight years, eight years she had wanted to say so much. Everything she never had a chance to, but now, in the moment, she was blanking.

"But I want you back..." She mumbled softly.

"I'd love to be back too, unfortunately, it's against the rules. Stupid rules, huh? Always getting in the way of how things should be. But hey, heaven's got great buffets, just so you know. And you can eat all you want and never gain weight." He gave a goofy grin and put a spectral arm around Emi, "Hey, chin up, okay? I hate to see you get down."

"I.." Emi got out and tears formed in her eyes, "I know. I just... I thought if I could bring Max and Yuuko back...I could bring you too..."

"Yeah, well...Powers aren't perfect. But hey, we can talk at least. So, this Max fellow... He seems to really like you."

"You saw him?" Emi's eyes widened in surprise

"Of course, heaven's got windows to look down on the world. Anyway, he really likes you, and I think you should be more open with him."

"I can't. I lost you, I can't lose anyone else."

"Come on pumpkin, I taught you better than that. Just cause you lose someone doesn't mean you should just give up on interpersonal relationships! I mean, seriously, my first girlfriend died in our senior year of high school. If I had given up then, I never would have met your mother." He then shrugged, "Don't worry too much about losing people. Even if someone dies, it's not like you'll never see them again. I'm talking with you, aren't I?"

"I... yes." Emi looked down sadly,, "But it's not the same."

"Well, the fact I'm incorporeal does put a damper on things, I admit." he chuckled a little, "But what the heck, I'm here. And I'll always be here if you need to talk. It's not like your powers are one use only, you know."

Emi gave him a quizzical look, "You seem to know a lot about my...ability works."

Her father shrugged, "Considering all the superheroes that come and go through the afterlife, I pick up on a few things now and then. But to the point, I would highly suggest you open up. It really improves your life to have someone. Trust me on this."

"I don't know..."

"Emi," he said, his tone quite a bit more serious, "Have I ever lied to you?"

"No..."

"Then believe me when I say, it's better to try. Always better. Do you know what happens to people who don't try?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

That word hung in the air for a moment, then Emi's father gave a big grin, "But you're better than that. By far."

"I hope so." Emi nodded weakly,

"I have the utmost faith in you."

The figure flickered for a moment,

"Ah damn, our connection's breaking up." Her father shook his head, annoyed.

"What do you mean?"

"It's complicated, short version is that the connections between dimensions get stronger or weaker based on a number of factors. This is a spotty patch. But if you ever need to talk, come by and I'll visit." He grinned, "Love ya, pumpkin."

"I love you too daddy." Emi smiled.

The specter slowly faded from view. Emi dried her tears and walked away. The biggest regret of her life was that she never got to say goodbye. Now she did, and it helped, as painful as it was. Maybe now she could finally move on. And maybe, just maybe, her father was right about Max. He was good person, that was for sure. He always offered a sympathetic ear, and while Emi had never taken him up on the offer, the fact he was willing spoke to his character. But he could still age. Someday Max would grow old and die, and Emi...Emi would stay young. According to what Wolverine had told Hisao at least.

_Can I deal with that?_ She thought. _Can I accept fifty or sixty years of happiness knowing I'll lose him someday? Fifty years is a long time, but is it long enough? _ She swallowed. Truth was, she wasn't happy. She was tired of waking up in the middle of the night with tear soaked pillows. She was tired of keeping everyone away. Most of all, she was tired of being alone. While she was friends with all the students she met at Yamaku, deep down she did want to love someone. A lifetime ago, she had a crush on Hisao, but he had chosen Lilly. That was difficult, but she managed to accept that. And they were still friends, which put him above every other boyfriend she had broken up with. Max...In a way he reminded Emi of herself. He too kept himself isolated for much of his life, though his was less out of choice than necessity. In many respects, he had had a far worse time than she had.

_He couldn't even touch anyone without killing them. I can't imagine how difficult that must have been. But he got over it._ Emi paused and repeated that last bit, _He got over it. Maybe I can too._

Rin looked up. There was a blue skinned man dressed in a shirt and pants staring at her from across the field she was sitting in. She stood up and with a "pop" reappeared in front of him

"Something happening?" she asked

"Greeting, Rin Tezuka. I am the Grandmaster."

"Ah, the hunch I had, En Dwi Gast" Rin nodded "Good to meet you."

"You know my actual name?" A slight bit of suprise creeped into the Grandmaster's voice

"Just had a hunch. I have hunches on occasion. I had a feeling about you. Someone with a brain like mine." She shrugged "Or not like mine, but able to understand mine." She looked at the Grandmaster and shrugged "Do you understand?"

"Of course I understand! I'm an Elder of the Universe after all, I understand everything. I find your paintings extraordinary, they stir such vision within me."

"I paint how I see. That's all."

"Yes, well, I have not felt such emotions of an artistic piece in seven billion three hundred and forty two million, nine hundred eight three thousand, five hundred and seventy two years."

Rin shrugged, "Glad I could help."

"Yes, and..." He gave a sort of flustered look, and added "I was thinking we shall ingest some nourishment together."

"Ingest...nourishment? Ah, food. I can do food. Where to?"

"Your choice." The Grandmaster didn't know anything about the area, but he certainly wasn't going to admit that.

"Ok then, in that case.." Another "pop" and the two were standing outside a small cafe. Rin looked at the blue man. "Do you have cash?" She asked "I couldn't bring my wallet." she shrugged her armless shoulders with emphasis.

"I am in the possession of gold. That is sufficient, correct?"

Rin smiled slightly, "More than. Gold is pricy. It's like the Rolls Royce of minerals. All yellow and clouded and smelly."

"Excellent. One more question, would it be acceptable if I were to look into your brain?

Rin shrugged, "Sure," She said plainly.

The Grandmaster reached out his telepathy and looking inside Rin's mind. He was nearly overwhelmed by the torrent of colors and images that come forth.

"Intriguing." he just said

Rin looked at him oddly, "That's the first time I've been touched in my head. It feels funny. Like being rubbed in your adrenal gland."

"Ah, did I cause you discomfort?."

"No, its okay. I don't mind it. Its nice to be able to show people what I think." She walked up to the door of the cafe and pushed in opened with her body. "Let's have lunch."

He smiled and followed.


	13. New perspectives

"Lilly." Hisao said softly

"Yes Hisao?" Lilly said, groaning slightly. It was very early in the morning

"I think I'm ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"I believe I can copy my visual abilities into your brain."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, at least, Psylocke thinks I'm ready and she's the one with experience in these matters. Six weeks of training, and I think it's finally at the level where I can... do my thing."

"Then why did you wake me up at.." she felt her clock by her bed "six in the morning?"

"I was hoping I could show you the sunrise. I mean, if you'd rather we can do the sunset tonight."

"No, that's fine." Lilly smiled "I admit I am interested, I've heard they are quite pretty"

Hisao grinned despite the fact Lilly couldn't see it. "Great. Alright, I'm going to try into insert the necessary information. I must warn you, this can be a little uncomfortable."

Hisao focused inward and probed the state of his brain. Feeling around, her located the necessary information in the occipital lobe and took a hold of it. Then he expanded his mind outward, locating Lilly's mind. He began probing her thought patterns, searching for a free are large enough to hold the data.

"This hurts." Lilly said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry about that, it should be over soon."

He reached around. There was no single gap large enough for the entire chunk of data, but he was able to divide the information into several sections and insert them in areas of the brain. He then connected the new information to the rest of her mind as best as he could. The 'psychic surgery' as Psylocke had termed it, had only taken a couple minutes.

"Does that feel alright?" He asked.

"It's an odd feeling. I am sort of self-conscious about my eyes, it feels like I 'should' be receiving information from them even though I'm not."

"That should pass fairly quickly. At least, I think so. But let's try it out." He looked around at the room and began to project images into her mind.

"Oh, oh my." Lilly said, sounding awestruck.

"Is it working?" Hisao asked excitedly

"Yes.. yes it is. My goodness. So these are colors? I never knew..."

"Let's go outside, Sunrises are particularly gorgeous."

"I...Yes. That sounds wonderful."

Lilly got up and started walking towards the door, Hisao followed close behind. Once they navigated out of the apartment and reached the roof of the complex, Lilly's mouth fell open

"Beautiful.." she whispered at the images Hisao was showing her in her mind. "My goodness..."

"Bet you're glad I took those lessons now." Hisao teased

"Yes...Very glad... I never thought the world could look this way. It's wonderful"

"You two are up early." A voice came behind them.

"Hey there Hanako," Hisao said. "You doing better?"

Hanako shook her head sadly, "I...I..." She got that far before tears started forming in her eyes.

Hisao exchanged worried looks with Lilly, then put his arm around Hanako.

"Hanako..." Hisao began, "I can't imagine what you're going through, but if you'd like...I think I'm skilled enough to erase that memory from your mind, if you want."

"I.. I don't want that." Hanako choked out, then composed herself somewhat. "I shouldn't forget. It could have happened, and I need to remember to make sure it never happens again."

"Are you sure? I know you're hurting-"

"Hisao...please. I can work through this. Just give me time. Please."

Hisao nodded, "Alright. Just remember we're here for you."

"Yes. I know." Hanako gasped for breath, "Thank you."

Her tears started to settle down some, and she grasped Hisao and Lilly in a big hug.

"Thank you," she repeated softly, "Thank you so much."

Shizune paced in her living room. It had been one year. A year to the day since the robot attacked her. A year to the day since she nearly lost her best friend. A year to the day she had decided that deep down she did want Misha. A year to the day she had met with her in the hospital and told her she would be her girlfriend. Hopefully, their anniversary would be something to remember. Provided she could pull this off.

[So, is he showing up soon?] Misha signed

Shizune shrugged [Maybe. He should have arrived half an hour ago. Maybe he got bored of playing with me.] She winced slightly.

As if on cue, the Grandmaster teleported in.

"_This Rin girl is most unusual, I never would have a guessed an Earthling would have trans-planar mental processes..._" He then noticed the pink-haired girl behind him "Misha, I am assuming?" he spoke aloud.

"Yep! Pleased to meet ya," Misha stated happily "So, you're dating Rin? I must say I'm surprised. Never thought an immortal multibillion year old gamer would fall for an artist."

He shrugged_ "I have hardly 'fallen' for her. I find her painting skill most extraordinary, especially for humans, who rarely produce one meaningful work in their lifetime. Rin generates such pieces on a consitant basis, which is more than any other creature on this planet does."_

Shizune rolled her eyes, [Could you at least try to be respectful of humanity? Just because you're a multi-billion year old whatever doesn't mean we aren't better than you. Considering that every time you face off against earth/'s superhumans they soundly kick your ass, you'd think you'd at least acknowledge our skills.]

"_I have hardly been defeated."_

[You're joking right? Let me run down a few instances and see if any of them ring bells. Lets start with that time you interrupted the Avenger's baseball game with some plot to destroy the universe. The Avengers take out the supervillains you resurrected and then Hawkeye single-handedly distracted you enough to free Death. Then their was the time you and the other Elders tried to kill Galactus and the Fantastic Four team up with the Silver Surfer to throw that plot out the window. Or how about when that being from another universe called Krona killed you, and you had to rely on the Avengers and Justice League to stop him and save both universes. Oh, and lets not forget when you went up against the Thunderbolts and Zemo stripped you of your powers and then shot you in the head. Not to mention that time just a few months ago when the Red Hulk ate your power and nearly killed you. Oh, and Squirrel Girl. Need I say more?]

[You certainly know your stuff.] Misha signed to Shizune, who nodded

"_Minor setbacks, that's all they were."_ Grandmaster replied, _"In any case, shall we begin?"_

Shizune sat down and The Grandmaster followed suit. The game was fast and furious. Knight takes rook, bishop takes pawn, Rook moves forward. In less than half an hour, the game had reached the end stages. The Grandmaster smiled and moved his remaining rook, taking Shizune's queen.

"_You might as well give up now"_ he thought to her. Shizune shook her head and gave a wicked grin. Then she moved one of her pawns to capture the rook, reaching the end of the board and promoting to a queen.

"_Impossible."_ he mumbled, "_That's impossible."_

Shizune saw the words appear on her glasses and began to make gestures, [Nope, I'm just that good. I've been practicing against all sorts of people in my spare time. Learned that trap from Hanako a while back. I owe her one.] The Grandmaster looked down from his now disadvantaged position and moved his bishop. After a few more moves, Shizune moved her queen into a final position

[Checkmate.] Shizune signed triumphantly.

"_So it is."_ the blue man laughed _"Very well. As implied the premilinary time we met, I can heal your deafness and muteness."_

Misha gave a small gasp

[Actually, there's something I'd like more.] Shizune replied.

"_Oh? What might that be?"_

[I'd like you to remove the mental barriers in my mind that cause me to be uncomfortable with my being with Misha.]

[Shicchan, you don't have to do that.] Misha quickly signed [This is your chance to speak again, you don't have to give that up on my behalf.]

[Misha,] Shizune replied [You've known me for six years now, and you know how well I do with my disability. I thrive on this challenge. But I want this hesitance gone. It's time for me to be the girlfriend I should be, rather than the one I am. It took me long enough to realize how good you were towards me, and it took me even longer to accept how I felt. And yet you were with me through everything. You acted as my interpreter in Yamaku, despite my taking you for granted. You specifically came to the same college as me, despite my constant refusal to reciprocate your affection. You took an energy blast for me, nearly giving up your own life to save mine. You care that much about me, and yet I still can't give you everything you deserve because of my own shortcoming. It is my greatest failure that I am still stuck with my father's homophobia, and I. Cannot. Abide. Failing.]

Misha was at a loss for words for possibly the first time in her life. She raised her hands, but didn't know what to sign.

Shizune turned to the Grandmaster, [You can do this, right?]

"_Of course. My telepathy is certainly advanced enough. I confess I am rather surprised however. I would have concluded that fixing your body would take precedence over a minor mental impediment."_

[My body hardly need to be 'fixed'. My deafness is not an issue. At all. And yes, I'm positive. Misha was there for me through thick and thin, and she has waited for six years. That's far too long. She deserves better. WE deserve better.]

Grandmaster smiled, _"Very well then. Close your eyes and focus inward."_ As Shizune did so, he put the palms of his hands on her temples, then focused. Blue energy pulsed from his hands. After a few minutes, he let go and Shizune opened her eyes.

[How do you feel?] Misha signed

[I feel great. Better than I have felt in ages.] Shizune then ran up to Misha and gave her a massive hug, then began kissing her mouth deeply. Misha let out a small gasp as shivers flew up and down her spine.

She was vaguely aware of the Grandmaster vanishing from the room, but she was soon consumed by the sensations enveloping her. They had kissed before yes, but this time was different. This time, they weren't holding back. It was as if Shizune's normal restraint had vanished, and the two of them had been propelled into a whirlwind by her unabashed actions. They kissed over and over again, relishing the feel of each other, until finally Misha let go.

[That was incredible] she signed out, catching her breath.

Shizune grinned [But you liked it, didn't you?]

[Hell yeah! This is...wow... I didn't know... There are no words to describe it. You are so beautiful. So goddamn beautiful. Thank you.]

[It is I who should be thanking you.] Shizune replied, [Nobody else would have been stubborn enough to endure this sort of half-relationship as long as you have. But you did.]

There was a brief pause, and Shizune added [You do know what today is, don't you?]

[Our one year anniversary.] Misha replied, grinning like a fool [You didn't really think I'd forget, did you?]

[Of course not. That was just a segue. I bought us tickets to the Hatsune Miku concert tonight.]

[Seriously?! But Shicchan...]

[Don't worry, its fine. I don't need to hear her to enjoy being with you.]


	14. Cures

Emi heard a knock on the door to her apartment. Getting up, she dashed over and opened it. Max was there, and he was dressed in a brown shirt and pants rather than his usual red armor.

"Good to see you." he remarked "Miss me?"

"Very much so," Emi grinned, "Come on in." Max smiled and sat down on the couch

"So, I bet your parents were glad to see you." She then added

"Yes, they were. Especially considering the Exiles had returned my original body to them, or at least what remains of it. They thought they had lost me forever." He chuckled "But you saved me. You brought me back. I owe you my life."

Emi laughed, "No need to be so overtly dramatic, cutie. If I could, I'd save everyone. This power is just hard to rely on." She paused for a moment, "But it brought me closure."

"What do you mean?"

"While you were gone... I wound up bringing someone else back, you wouldn't know her. It prompted me to wonder 'who else can I bring back?' Answer is, not many people. But I can _talk_ to the dead too. I..." She took a deep breath "I was able to lay an old ghost to rest that way. Achieve closure. I think...I think I'm ready to love again." She leaned in close to Max and kissed him hard on the cheek "You're a good person. You didn't pry much when I told you I wanted to keep things to myself, and you offered to listen to me if I wanted to share. I think I'm ready to share now."

Max patted Emi on the shoulder, "Sound good. I'm glad you're willing to open up."

Emi nodded, "It was my father. The ghost I talked to, that is. Twelve years ago I was in a car wreck. Its how I lost my legs. And my dad. Losing him..I don't know if you've lost people, but it destroyed me. I still cry at night from the dreams where I replay the accident in my head. Even worse, I never even got to say goodbye. Until now. And saying goodbye...It's like finally being able to breath after being underwater," She took a deep breath "I was scared when I learned about these superpowers, I mean, I didn't want to live for thousands of years, after all, I'd have to say goodbye to so many people, and I'm terrible at goodbyes. Losing my dad alone..." She swallowed, "But I can take the time to enjoy life for now. I think. When I first met you, I figured you'd be someone I play with but never get close to. Like every other relationship I had. But it turns out you're different. You lived your life despite everything that happened to you. You're an inspiration, to be honest. Just promise me something.

"Yes?"

"Promise me you'll do your best to live as long as you can. I want our relationship to last as long as possible."

"Of course."

The Grandmaster stared at Rin as she worked on one of her paintings. As she drew another face onto the canvas with her foot's paintbrush, she paused for a moment.

"Do you think I should fill this will green or yellow?" She asked.

"Yellow, without question. Non-vetal forms function well with aurulent paints." The blue man replied

"I thought that too. It's nice having someone who speaks my language. Though I must say your language is a bit advanced for me. Perhaps you could speak more plainly? I don't understand half the words you use. " She dipped her paintbrush in the yellow paint and began to fill in the face.

"Perhaps I can attempt such a vocabulary alteration. You know.." The Grandmaster began.

"Many things." Rin replied.

En chuckled "Well, yes. But I was going to inform you I have the technological advancement to create robotic hands for you.

"No, no need."

"Really? I would postulate it would be easier than painting with your foot."

"I like painting this way. And it's what I'm used to. If I had hands I'd have to start over from the beginning. Like a man who watches a movie halfway, then decides he would rather do it in widescreen and rewinds."

"There are numerous uses for hands however-."

"No. It's fine. I don't need hands. I could use an automatic orange peeler though, could you make one of those?"

"Well, yes, but..." The Grandmaster tried to think of how to explain himself, but couldn't figure out a good way to phrase it. "Why don't you desire hands?"

Rin shook her head, "I don't need them."

He shrugged, "I completely fail to understand you people, you know. Shizune completely rejected my offer of healing her auditory system, desiring instead a trivial mental operation. You insist you "don't need hands" despite their inherent utility. Why would any organism reject a chance to be complete?"

Rin looked at him funny, "You don't seem understand this, but we are complete." Setting down her paintbrush, she turned and looked at him strongly, "We may be different, but we are just the same as anyone else. You're new here, but stick around and you'll find out soon enough. Don't worry." she picked up her paintbrush and then added "Humanity can still surprise you."

Yuuko sifted through paperwork. She was lucky in a way. Not many people got a second chance to live, especially if they weren't given powers. The procedure needed to get reinstated as 'alive' was extremely difficult, however. Dozens of forms, many of which had to be filled out in triplicate, each detailing methods of death, time spent away, possible explanations for returning... But she was managing. With luck, soon she'd get the funding needed to move back into a house, get back to work, and restart her life. Then she heard the doorknob turn.

"Kenji," she said softly.

Kenji nodded, "Hows the bureaucratic nonsense coming along?"

"Getting there. Thank you again for letting me stay here. And providing for me. I don't mean to be a burden."

"Eh, shit happens. Just don't die again, okay? Too many resurrections gum up the afterlife system. Jean Grey alone has died so often she has a revolving door in heaven."

"Sorry about that... whose Jean Grey?"

"One of the X-men. Most notably for her simply astounding number of resurrections. She's died a minimum of seven times, thirteen if you count her clone. It's a running joke of sorts, and I've heard the X-men actually take bets on how long it takes her to come back every time she bites it. This sort of thing happens all the time. Superheroes die, then come back, then the fact they came back lead to more people dying, which leads to more people coming back, which leads to more problems...It's a vicious cycle. Pretty soon nobody will die, and then what will happen?"

"Immortality?"

"Yes! I mean, can you imagine all the feminists living forever? I would have hoped someday this madness would end, but if people keep coming back to life, I'll be the last sane man forever. How was the machine coming?"

"Machine?"

"Yes, the one you took my life energy for."

"Oh, that... It, uh...I couldn't get it to work. Had to scrap the entire design."

"Oh, so I gave my energy up for nothing?"

Yuuko looked down sadly. Kenji shrugged, "It's alright. Not every miraculous invention comes into promise. If it did I wouldn't have my eye problems. It was worth a shot. Which reminds me of what I wanted to talk to you about in the first place."

"Ah, ok?"

"Recent events have caused me to question myself," Kenji made a dramatic pose and continued, "I am beginning to wonder how far the conspiracy really goes."

"Kenji, I-"

"No, just hear me out. No fewer than three times in the past few months have I been informed by people I trust that my assumptions about certain issues were incorrect. There was my thinking you were a succubus, of course, which was sort of true but you had a very good reason for being one. Then there were the party where all those cute girls were. I thought they might be feminists, but my bro Hisao told me they were friends and allies against the conspiracy. I trust Hisao with my life, you know. He's the only other one who truly understands what is going on. And then he informed me that Lilly was not actually in the mafia, but undercover infiltrating it. Now, maybe if it had been just one or two instances of being incorrect I could ignore it, but three? Something smells fishy, and it's not just my tuna salad." He grinned. "I'm beginning to reevaluate how deep the conspiracy actually goes. At first I thought the feminists were everywhere. But now I'm beginning to think I may be overestimating their reach. Now, there are a lot of places where there is definitively signs of feminist control, such as Nintendo and McDonalds, just to name two out of forty or fifty. But there are many where the signs are less obvious, and they may have not grabbed a hold of yet. Walmart, for example. And the X-men. Maybe this fight isn't as hopeless as I thought it was."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yuuko asked, confused.

"I was wondering if you want to help me with the data. You had a pretty sharp thing going, building a feminist-detection machine. Wish I had come up with that. I mean, it was admittedly pretty irrational of me to just jump ship and hide for years because of an incident I never gave you the chance to explain, but no hard feelings?"

"Of course not." Yuuko's replied

"Good. So, you want to partner up? Figure out the depth of the problem?"

"I'd like nothing better." Yuuko's heart soared. This was a start. A very good start.

"Excellent. When you finish getting reinstated in the world, I'll bring by my data and we can sort through it. Maybe Hisao can help out too, though he seems a bit busy helping Lilly with her undercover work." He grinned and sauntered out of the room.

Hanako sat in her room. Eight weeks since the kidnapping. Eight weeks since she had nearly killed her friend. She was improving, slowly. No longer did she burst into tears at the sight of Hisao, and no longer did she feel like a monster. But the images were still there, the memory was still there, and she still had nightmares. She didn't know if she'd ever be back to where she was, but she could endure. She would endure. She had told Hiso she could work through this, and she had kept her word. Now...now she felt like she might survive.

She had her face healed. There was a small measure of comfort in that. For the longest time it had been everything she wanted, but now? It didn't matter that much. It mattered some, of course. Over a half-dozen classmates had invited her out and she had skyrocketed in popularity in her classes. But truth was, the people who truly cared about her...the scars hadn't mattered to them. Lilly, Hisao, Trevor...they had seen her for who she was.

There was a knock on the door to Hanako's apartment. She was a bit surprised but she got up and opened it. Trevor was there, but looked horribly disheveled, like he had just rolled out bed.

"Trevor?" Hanako asked, "What's wrong?"

Trevor grimaced and pulled out the amulet he wore from beneath his clothes. The emerald inside was pulsing with a sickly green light.


	15. Endings

"I have to go." Trevor said sadly "The Chronomancer has found me."

"What- NO!" Hanako grabbed her boyfriend, "Please don't. "

"I'm sorry." Trevor shook his head "I shouldn't even have come here, every minute I spend in this dimension increases the risk of him finding me. I just couldn't leave without saying goodbye. So goodbye Hanako."

"No. " Hanako said softly " I need you..."

"I'm sorry, but this isn't up for debate. It's best for everyone if you just forget about me." The words hung in the air like lead in Hanako's stomach.

"I could never forget you..."

It was at that exact moment Hanako heard glass shatter behind her.

"Oh shit." Trevor said and Hanako whirled around. Standing in the windowsill was a man. He looked like Trevor, but notably older, and he was clad in a suit of metallic armor from the neck down. The left arm terminated in a sort of cannon and the right had a wicked looking gauntlet with spikes all over it. His head was covered by a transparent helmet, which allowed Hanako a look at the manic grin on his face.

"Get behind me." Trevor said.

The Chronomancer laughed, "Acting all brave and noble, are we, younger self? Four years and I finally caught up with you, because you fell in love. And to this broad? I thought we had better standards than that."

"Why won't you just leave me along?" Trevor stated angrily, "I never did anything to you."

"You still don't understand, do you? I need to kill you in order to ensure my own survival. Sooner or later, if you don't become me, I'll cease to exist."

"You're from an alternate reality. Temporal physics don't work that way."

"Or do they? I don't understand it myself, but I'm going by the way I figure it out. Anyway." He lifted the cannon on his left arm, and fired a rocket at them.

Hanako's reaction was as instinctual as it was selfless, pulling Trevor down and taking the blunt of the blast herself. She screamed as the flesh on her back seared and then repaired itself.

"Get up." She thought to herself, "Come on, get up." but she couldn't, she felt herself freeze in place. This was too much. Bad enough she had been kidnapped, bad enough she had been turned again her friends. But now...now her boyfriend was going to die. And she couldn't stop it. She heard the gun reload and braced herself for another impact.

It never came. After a few moments, she looked up. The Chronomancer was sprawled on the floor, his mouth drooling. Over in the doorway was Hisao, who was clutching his head.

"Hisao?" Hanako asked.

"It's over Hanako." Hisao replied, rubbing his temples thoughtfully, "Don't worry, I got him."

"What did you do?"

"I was upstairs when I heard impact from your window breaking and ran down here. He was pointing his gun at you, so I did the only thing I could. I reached in. And turned off his mind. Normally not something I could do, but his mind was virtually unguarded. Almost like he was missing some important part of himself." Hisao shook his head, "I wish there had been another way. I truly do, but I couldn't think of one in time to save you."

Hanako nodded sadly.

"It's over" Trevor mumbled, getting up, "It's finally over. I ran from him so long, and so many times, and now it's finally over. I can hardly believe it."

"Yuuki?" Hisao asked

"Call me Trevor. Yuuki was an alias, one that I'm finally through with." He reached over and hugged Hanako. "Thank god. Now I can stay. I don't have to hide anymore."

Hanako just sat there and stared at the brain-dead figure on the ground. Then it twitched.

"Umm, guys.." she started.

"USER LIFE SIGNS DISABLED" a voice from the armor came "AUTOMATIC MODE ENACTED. PRIMARY FUNCTIONALITY: TERMINATION OF TREVOR FITZROY EARTH ONE-ONE-NINE-ONE."

The Chronomancer's figure lurched to its feet in a stiff, erratic fashion.

"Oh God DAMN it." Trevor swore.

The figure jerked forward its left arm and a series of rockets emerged from it. Hanako barely got a force field as a volley of explosions blasted against it.

"PRIORITY REASSESSMENT: IKEZAWA, HANAKO, THREAT ANAYLYSIS: MODERATE. FITZROY, TREVOR, THREAT ANAYLSIS: MILD. NAKAI, HISAO, THREAT ANAYLSIS: NEGLIGABLE. CONCLUSION: THIS UNIT IS IN MINOR DANGER."

"Can't you do anything?" Hisao asked Trevor, who shook his head.

"Even if I drained the life force of its operator, the machine would still run. You're a telepath, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not going to do any good against this."

"FUTHER METAHUMANS DETECTED: IBARAZAKI, EMI, THREAT ANAYLSIS: MILD. HAKAMAKI, SHIZUNE: THREAT ANALYSIS: MODERATE. MIKADO, SHIINA, THREAT ANALYSIS: MILD. TEZUKA, RIN, THREAT LEVEL: SEVERE. SATUO, LILLY, THREAT LEVEL: ULTIMATE. CONLUSION: SHOULD THIS BATTLE PERSIST, A 99.8 PERCENT CHANCE OF ATTITIONAL METAHUMANS ARRIVAL EXISTS. A 99.67 PERCENT CHANCE OF UNIT'S DESTRUCTION EXISTS. CONCLUSION: SUPPLIMENTARY: THIS UNIT IS ENAGING EXTREME MEASURES."

"That sounds bad," Hisao stated, "Hanako, do something!"

Hanako hesitated. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want anything to do with a metahuman lifestyle. Most of all, she didn't want to hurt anybody.

But it wasn't a person, was it? Just a machine, a very advanced machine, operating by the program it's operator had installed on it. The Chronomancer was essentially dead, this was just one of his toys.

A mass beam of energy emitted from the armor toward Trevor, but was curtailed by another force field.

"DELTA CLASS FORCE FIELD DETECTED: SOLUTION: LEVEL SEVEN LASER." The armor spun around towards Hanako and a burst of white light emerged from the gauntlet's spikes. It went right through the force field and Hanako screamed as the flesh on her left arm fried and then healed itself.

"ALPHA LEVEL HEALING FACTOR DETECTED. SOLUTION: INTENSIFY" The Chronomancer's figure jerked slightly. "CORRECTION: FITROY, TREVOR, EARTH 1191 LACKS SUCH A FACTOR. COMMENSING PRIMARY FUNCTIONALITY." The machine held up it's gauntlet towards Trevor...

And just like that, something snapped inside Hanako. She had a GODDMAN BOYFRIEND! For the first time in her life, someone had finally chosen her, and when she was scarred no less! And now this...thing... this lump of metal and plastic was going to take him away. No. She was not going to stand for it. She wasn't going to run, she wasn't going to hide.

This time, she was going to fight.

"You piece of junk, you really think... You really think you're not in danger? I'll show you danger" She snarled and grabbed the robot in a force field fist. And then she began to crush it. She piled all the hate, all the frustration, all the disgust, she had been feeling over the past two months in a massive buildup of emotion and squeezed as hard as she could.

"DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Hanako screamed.

"ERROR, DAMAGE TO PRIMARY FEEDS...SECONDARY FEEDS...ERROR...ENGAGING..."

Hanako piled on the pressure. She could hear pieces of the armor snapping inside. Good. That means it was working.

"ERROR, POWER SUPPLY DAMAGED, ATTEMPTING REPAIRS: CORRECTION ATTEMPTING...ERROR ERROR."

Cracks emerged on the helmet, and it burst inwards. Moments later, the Chronomancer's head was pulped in shower of blood and brain matter. Hanako barely even noticed, instead building the pressure as hard she could.

"USER TERMINATED. UNIT ANNIHLATION: IMMEDIANT: STATEMENT: I ONLY REGRET I AM UNABLE TO FUFILL MY FUN-"

And at that moment, the armor burst inwardly and became smaller and smaller, crushing itself tighter and tighter until all that was left was a small metal ball dripping blood.

Hanako gasped for breath.

"Geeze, remind me to never make you angry," Trevor chuckled and walked over to Hanako. "Nice going."

"I...I didn't mean for that to happen." Hanako said softly.

"Don't worry about it." Hisao said, "You probably saved our lives. I mean, seriously. Trevor and I couldn't do jack about that thing, but you crushed it like a roll of tissue paper."

Hanako nodded, "I guess... I just didn't want to kill him."

"Hanako, _I _was the one who killed him." Hisao stated simply, "All you did was discard the remnants. Trust me, you did the right thing."

Hanako nodded again, and then looked at the ball. So this was how it was going to be from now on. Constantly on guard, always worried about being ambushed, watching out for fights at all hours of the day... All she wanted was to be normal. But that was never a possibility. Ever since the fire, she had been different. And she would always be different. There was nothing she could do about that. But she had friends, she had family, she had a boyfriend.

With them, she could make it.

And deep within the darkest corners of her mind, something sinister stirred.

Authors note: And that, my friends, is why you should never make Hanako angry. This is the final chapter in "Katawa Superpowers", but I will be posting the sequal, "The Enemy Within" Shortly. Thank you to everyone who has read my fic.


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